


Sleeves of My Sweater

by MusictoMii



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Artist Eddie Kaspbrak, Blow Jobs, Dirty Talk, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Explicit Consent, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Frottage, Hand Jobs, M/M, Musician Richie Tozier, Smut, Soft Eddie Kaspbrak, Soft Richie Tozier
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-17
Updated: 2019-11-22
Packaged: 2021-02-07 12:33:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 42,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21458125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MusictoMii/pseuds/MusictoMii
Summary: The first time Eddie Kaspbrak saw Richie Tozier, Eddie thought he was in love.The first time Eddie Kaspbrak actuallymetRichie Tozier, Eddie thought he was going to be the bane of his existence.***Or: Richie is the lead singer of an indie rock band and lives in the dorm directly above Eddie. Eddie is an art student who gets stuck with Richie as his figure model. They fall in love.
Relationships: Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh, Bill Denbrough/Mike Hanlon/Stanley Uris, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Comments: 55
Kudos: 643





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I made a spotify playlist of songs included in this fic as well as other songs I envisioned being similar to what Richie's band plays. You can listen to it [here](https://open.spotify.com/user/1217333776/playlist/0y56O97s5uFB1Xj7ruWE4l?si=sjoINMmxSgGnNHlVFMKcfQ)
> 
> Title from Sweater Weather by The Neighbourhood

The first time Eddie Kaspbrak saw Richie Tozier, Eddie thought he was in love. It was early, the sun barely starting to peek through the trees outside his dorm, and Eddie was on his way to the coffee shop just off campus, determined to beat the morning rush before class. He was idly flipping through the sketchbook in his hands, triple checking that his assignments were complete, when he glanced up as he turned the corner around his dorm and froze, air leaving his body in a rush.

Halfway down the path in front of him, a man with a mop of soft looking curly, black hair was leaning against a large tree, lit cigarette loosely held between two fingers. He was looking away from Eddie, down the path toward the sunrise, where the sky was turning from a pale pink to a baby blue. He was wearing form fitting black jeans and a plum colored sweater with sleeves long enough to cover the palms of his hands. A pair of large, black glasses were perched on the end of his nose. Eddie thought he was the most beautiful person he’d ever seen.

Sucking in a breath and giving his head a quick shake, Eddie resumed walking, steadily approaching the handsome stranger. As he got closer, Eddie noticed how tall the man was: at least a whole head taller than Eddie himself. He felt his heart rate quicken.

As Eddie approached, the man turned his head, catching Eddie’s eyes. A small smile appeared on the man’s lips, and as Eddie walked passed him, he gives him a wink. Eddie’s eyes widened slightly and a blush heats up his cheeks. Looking away, Eddie lowered his head slightly and quickened his pace, hugging his sketchbook tightly to his chest. As he increased the distance between himself and the man, he allowed himself to smile softly while his insides swim pleasantly. He doesn’t notice the man staring after him, cigarette forgotten, smile still on his face.

***

The first time Eddie Kaspbrak actually _met_ Richie Tozier, Eddie thought Richie was going to be the bane of his existence. At 2:30 on a Wednesday morning, 2 weeks after Eddie came across the handsome stranger, Eddie was woken up by the sound of loud footsteps and what sounded like furniture being dragged around in the room above him. At first he tried to ignore it. He rolled over in bed, pulling his comforter up to his chin and squeezing his eyes shut, but the noises didn’t stop. Eddie opened his eyes and looked across the room to his best friend and roommate Bill who was out cold, starfished across his bed, face turned toward the wall, small snores escaping his mouth with every inhale. Bill could sleep through just about anything and Eddie was extremely envious.

The noises continued for ten minutes then came to an abrupt stop. Eddie let out a sigh of relief, letting his eyes close again, ready to drift back off to sleep, only to open them again in disbelief when the noises continued after a couple minutes of silence.

Letting out a low growl, Eddie pushed himself up and climbed out of bed. He threw a baggy t-shirt on, hemline almost covering the entirety of his short, red sleep shorts, and stuffed his feet into a pair of black slippers. Grabbing his keys, he stormed out of his room (quietly so as not to disturb Bill), and marched down the hall to the stairs. When he reached the second floor he slowed down, taking a moment to compose himself before approaching room 207, the one directly above his own 107. The noises were surprisingly quieter from outside the door but still noticeable. Eddie wondered for a moment why no one on this floor had complained yet, then raised his fist to knock on the door, casually glancing at the names **Stanley Uris** and **Richard Tozier** taped to it as he did so.

The noise from inside stopped and a moment of silence followed before Eddie heard soft footsteps approach the door. Eddie crossed his arms, angry words on the tip of his tongue when the door opened and he sucked in a surprised breath. In front of him stood the handsome stranger from 2 weeks ago, this time dressed in low hanging black sweatpants and a pastel tie dyed sweater. His curly black hair was pulled back half way into a bun, and from this close Eddie could see black studs in both his ears and a slim silver hoop through the left side of his nose.

Eddie forgets what he came up to say as he sees recognition spark in the man’s eyes behind his glasses. He gave Eddie a once over, eyes pausing for a moment where the hem of Eddie’s shorts peak out from under his t-shirt, high on Eddie’s thighs, then smirks and leans his weight against the doorframe.

“Wow. If I’d known I was gonna have such a cute guest tonight I’d have made sure Stan found somewhere else to stay.”

Eddie turned crimson and his mouth fell slightly open as he looked up at the man in front of him in disbelief. Anger flooded back into his body and he narrowed his eyes.

“Excuse me?”

The man’s smirk widened but he didn’t respond, continuing to look at Eddie with a quirked eyebrow. Eddie raised a finger and stepped forward to jab the man in the chest.

“Listen, asshole…”

“Richie.”

Eddie paused, finger still pressed into the man’s sweater. “What?”

“My name. It’s Richie.” He reached up to gently remove Eddie’s finger from his chest and Eddie pulled back as if he’d been burned, skin tingling from the contact.

“I don’t care what your fucking name is, I want you to keep it down up here. Do you have any idea what time it is? Some people have to get up early, jackass.”

Richie’s eyebrows rose in surprise. He sent a quick glance behind him where Eddie could just make out a disarray of furniture and another man, who must be Stanley, lounging on one of the beds, sending Richie an unimpressed look. When he looked back at Eddie, his smirk was gone and had been replaced by a sheepish smile.

“Sorry man. I didn’t realize anyone would be able to hear me.”

“Of course I could fucking hear you, it sounded like my ceiling was gonna cave in.”

Richie brightened. “You live below us, cutie?”

Eddie clenched his jaw at the nickname. “Don’t call me that. Just keep it the fuck down.” He turned to leave.

“Can I at least get your name so I know what to call the man starring in my dreams tonight?”

Eddie flushed again and turned to glare at Richie who was smirking again. “No.”

As he marched down the hall away from Richie’s dorm, Eddie heard a soft utterance of, “cute, cute, cute!”. When he got to the door of the stairs he glanced back to see Richie still standing in his doorway. Richie sent him a wink. Eddie resisted the urge to send him the middle finger.

When Eddie crawled back into bed a minute later, he half expected to hear the noises resume above him, but everything remained blissfully quiet. He let out a sigh of relief and drifted off to sleep, curly black hair and thick rimmed glasses in the forefront of his mind.

***

“I saw that man from two weeks ago. I swear, Bill. He was the most obnoxious person I’ve ever met in my life.”

It was the next morning. Eddie and Bill were sitting in the coffee shop off campus waiting for their friend Mike to get out of an early morning class. Bill had his laptop open, working on a new short story for his creative writing class while Eddie ranted about his unexpected middle of the night adventure.

“I thought he was the most b-beautiful person you’d ever seen?” Bill looked at Eddie over the top of his laptop with a teasing grin.

“Just because he’s hot doesn’t mean he can get away with having a rotten personality,” Eddie responded.

“He was flirting with you. That d-d-doesn’t mean he has a rotten p-personality.”

“Who has a rotten personality?” Eddie and Bill glanced up at Mike as he approached their table, easy smile on his face. He pulled out a chair next to Bill and quirked an eyebrow as Eddie let out a groan and dropped his forehead to the table.

“The guy Eddie’s been in love with for the last t-two weeks. He hit on him and now Eddie thinks he’s an ass.”

“He didn’t hit on me, Bill. He said that he wished his roommate wasn’t home so he could invite me in to have sex.”

Mike choked on the sip of coffee he’d just taken as he stared at Eddie incredulously. “Tell me everything.”

Eddie launched into his story again as Bill rolled his eyes with a fond smile and focused back on his laptop. Mike leaned back in his chair, smile growing larger on his face as Eddie got distracted describing how Richie had looked in the bright lights of the hallway. He met Bill’s eyes with a knowing grin.

“... and he’s a goddamn giant. I just know he was thinking of ways to make fun of how much shorter than him I am.”

Mike laughed. “Eddie, I think you’re making more of this than you should. You should be happy the hot guy you’ve been pinning after hit on you. This could be your chance to get out some of that pent up sexual tension you’ve been denying.”

Eddie sputtered. “Excuse you! I do not have any pent up sexual tension and even if I did I definitely wouldn’t need that asshole to help me get rid of it.”

Mike glanced at his phone to check the time then got up from the table and grabbed his bag. “Sounds like a wasted opportunity to me!” He chuckled at Eddie’s glare then started to head to the door. “Better get moving, lover boy. Your next class starts in 15 minutes.” He sent Bill a wave then disappeared out the door, leaving Eddie to scramble for his things.

“Try not to t-think about him too much d-d-during class!” Bill teased. Eddie flashed him his middle finger then ran out the door toward the art department.

Eddie was in a foul mood by the time he took his seat in his drawing class. He tried to erase Richie from his thoughts but no matter how hard he tried his mind kept going back to the smug smirk he had on his face when Eddie walked away from him last night. He let out a heavy sigh and pulled his sketchbook from his bag, flipping it open to a blank page. He glanced up at the board and felt a smile tug at the corners of his mouth as he read the word “hands” written upon it in bold letters.

“Alright, guys. We’re starting a new unit today.” A tall man in his late 30s walked into the room and addressed the class. “We’re gonna do a fun experiment with this one.” A murmur of confusion passed through the room.

“As you can see, we’re starting this unit with an assignment about hands. This unit is going to be about the human body. For the next month, each assignment will focus on a different part of the body.” The teacher, affectionately known as Sam to his students, walked around the room handing out envelopes to each person. “I’ve paired each of you with one of our art models for the duration of this unit. Each model has provided us with several photos of each body part we will be focusing on.” A snicker was heard from the back of the room and Sam rolled his eyes. “No, there won’t be any photos of genitalia. That will come later during the live sessions at the end.”

Eddie raised his eyebrows and opened the envelope Sam had placed in front of him. Inside he found a handful of photos of a pair of hands in several different poses. The hands were clearly male and seemed to be quite large. They were thin with long, calloused fingers, and Eddie’s own hand itched at the strong urge he suddenly had to pick up a pencil.

“Now the fun part of this experiment,” Sam continued once he had passed out the last envelope and had returned to the front of the room, “is that none of you will be learning the identity of your model until the last week of the unit when they come in for the first live session.”

Eddie’s head shot up to look at Sam incredulously.

“I want you guys to go into this without any preconceived ideas of your models. You won’t know if they’re hot, average, if they have a wonky eye, or an abnormally large nose. The goal is to really study the photos and recreate them in the most honest, raw way you can. Not knowing who your model is eliminates any temptation to alter your work based on anything other than the body part in your photos.”

Eddie glanced at his photos again and found himself wondering what the man attached to those hands looked like. What he did to cause the calluses on his fingers. How it would feel to have those hands touch his skin.

“For the duration of this unit, this class is going to be more of a check in and a time for questions. We’ll meet at the same time each week so I can check on your progress and hand out new photos, but other than that I want to give you guys the freedom to really do your own things as everyone’s model is different. Now, the only guideline I have for you, is I want one realistic recreation of the hands you received. Other than that, go crazy. Draw them in as many different styles as you can think of. Next week we’ll do the same thing with a different body part. Any questions?” Sam glanced around the room then dismissed them when he was satisfied that everyone understood the assignment.

Eddie grabbed his bag and envelope of pictures then made his way out of the room and into the mild autumn sunshine. With over an hour to spare before his next class, Eddie made his way over to a large tree and plopped down in the grass in the shade. He had chosen a tree near the music building and could hear a complicated piano piece being played through an open window on the third floor.

Pulling his sketchbook out of his bag, Eddie opened the envelope of photos once more, eyes roaming intently over the curves of each knuckle. A small knot of pleasure unfurled low in his stomach as he noticed once again how large the hands looked and how long the fingers were. A faint blush creeped onto his cheeks as he caught himself wondering what those fingers were capable of.

“Jesus Christ,” Eddie shook his head as if to clear it and blinked his eyes shut hard. “They’re fucking hands. You’ve never had a thing about hands before, don’t fucking start now.”

Still mumbling to himself about how ridiculous he was being, Eddie pulled his sketchbook into his lap and grabbed the simplest looking photo, carefully sliding the rest back into the envelope and into his backpack.

The photo Eddie had chosen to work with first depicted one hand. It was the person's left hand; palm up and fingers slightly bent. From this angle, Eddie could see calluses on the tip of every finger with the exception of the thumb. Eddie bent low over his sketchbook and began mapping out an outline.

Caught up in his work, Eddie didn’t notice when the piano on the third floor of the music building stopped playing. Nor did he notice when a trio of people exited the building and started in his direction. When the trio noticed Eddie, one of them stopped, eyes widening and smile growing wide on their face. He motioned for the other two, a slim woman with fiery red hair who was holding hands with a tall man with kind eyes, to continue on without him. They gave him a curious look, eyes flicking from him to Eddie and back before giving him a small nod and a wave before continuing on their path.

Eddie didn’t notice he had company until the man opened his mouth.

“Well, today really is my lucky day, isn’t it?”

Eddie jumped, hugging his sketchbook to his chest. He looked up (and up and up) and found Richie towering over him with a smug smirk planted on his face. Eddie glared at him and looked back down, subtly (he incorrectly thought) raking his eyes down Richie’s body as he did so. Richie’s smirk grew.

“Whatcha working on, dollface?”

Eddie turned crimson and gritted his teeth. Bringing his eyes back up to Richie’s, Eddie blindly closed his sketchbook, photo tucked neatly between the pages, and stuffed it into his backpack. “None of your fucking business. And don’t call me ‘dollface’.”

“Well what else am I supposed to call you? Have you changed your mind about giving me your name?” Richie reached up to adjust his glasses from where they’d slid down his nose as he looked down at Eddie.

“Don’t call me anything. My name is none of your goddamn business.” Eddie pushed himself to his feet and scooped to grab his bag. When he pulled himself up to full height and turned around, Richie was suddenly much closer than before, and Eddie’s face was inches from Richie’s chest, eyes only slightly higher than the “UFO Fun Run” logo printed across his sweatshirt. Eddie let out a squeak of surprise then took a hasty step back. “Jesus, what the fuck, asshole? Ever heard of personal goddamn space?” He squinted up at Richie again. “And why the fuck are you so tall? Are you part giraffe or some shit?”

Richie let out a burst of surprised laughter. “Well we can’t all be cute and compact like you, can we?”

“Shut the fuck up, 5’9” is the national average height for men. I’m not cute and compact!” Eddie spun and began walking away toward his next class. Richie fell in step beside him.

“Hate to break it to you, cutie, but with me around nobody is gonna think of you as anything _but_ cute and compact.”

Eddie growled. “And why the fuck would I ever have you around?”

“Because I think you secretly enjoy my company.”

Eddie looked up at Richie like he’d just told him that bears knew how to fly. “What part of any interaction you and I have had makes you think I secretly enjoy your company?”

“The eyes are the windows to the soul, sunshine.” Richie winked.

The pair were quickly approaching the art department where Eddie’s next class was being held. Eddie felt a blush rise on his cheeks as they walked through the doors of the building and he realized that Richie had just walked him to class. He ducked his head to hide it from the taller man then paused when they reached his classroom.

Looking up, Eddie noticed with a small gasp that Richie was looking down at him with a soft smile tugging at the corners of his lips. It made Eddie’s stomach flip over in a way he refused to think about. He tried to cover his reaction with another heated glare. “Get the fuck out of here, I have to go to class. And I swear to god, you better not wake me up in the middle of the night again with your need to rearrange your furniture.”

“If I do will you come yell at me again in those tiny red shorts you were wearing last night? Because wow, wow, wow what an image!”

Eddie squeezed his eyes shut and let out a long, slow breath. “Goodbye, Richie.” He turned to head into his classroom and missed the look of delight that passed over Richie’s face at the sound of his name coming from Eddie’s mouth.

“See you around, my love!” Eddie’s classmates looked up in curiosity at the nickname as Eddie turned red and slammed his bag onto his desk. Richie’s laughter was loud and long, and Eddie refused to admit that it sounded like music to his ears.

***

The rest of the week passed quietly. Eddie did not wake up in the middle of the night thanks to loud noises from above him, and he didn’t have any obnoxious interactions with Richie. In fact, Eddie didn’t even see Richie beyond catching a glimpse of him smoking with a gorgeous red haired woman on the path that led to the coffee shop. Eddie had taken one step down the path, caught sight of Richie, with his curls poking out of a light grey beanie and another sweater, sky blue this time, pulled over his palms as he gestured with the hand holding his cigarette, and promptly turned around and walked in the opposite direction.

On Saturday, Bill dragged Eddie and Mike to an apple orchard to drink fresh apple cider, eat apple cider donuts, and see who could fill their ½ peck bag with apples the quickest. (Mike won and Eddie came in last, though if you asked Eddie he would insist the other two cheated.)

Afterward, the three piled into Mike’s studio apartment and spent the afternoon in a competition to see who could make the best apple pie. Bill’s was a disaster, Eddie’s too sweet, and Mike’s was perfect as Bill and Eddie knew it would be. For dinner they ordered two large pizzas and squeezed onto the couch together to watch stand-up specials on Netflix. At 10pm, Mike drove them back to campus, all happy and giggly and relaxed, and dropped them in front of their dorm with a fond smile and a promise to see them Monday morning for coffee before class.

As soon as they were out of Mike’s truck, Eddie jumped on Bill’s back, nearly causing him to lose his balance and topple them both to the ground. Bill grabbed the backs of Eddie’s knees and hitched him up to get a more secure grip. “Come on, Big Bill! If we start now I bet we can get through at least four episodes of Merlin before you pass the fuck out!”

“Four?? Eddie it’s already almost 10:30pm. I can p-promise you two but then after t-that sleep is fair g-g-game!” Bill let them into their dorm building and laughed as Eddie blew a teasing raspberry into his ear. “How are you l-l-like this right now? I know for a f-fact you didn’t have a single d-d-drop of alcohol today.”

“I’m drunk on friendship, Bill! Who needs alcohol when you have the love of your two best friends and a belly full of apple pie?”

Bill carried Eddie into the corridor that housed their dorm room and snorted. “You’re s-such a f-f-fucking sap, Kaspbrak.” He looked up at Eddie with a fond smile then set him down gently when they reached their dorm and pulled his keys out of his pocket. Once in the room, Eddie gathered a change of clothes and his shower caddy and ran off to the bathroom for a quick shower while Bill changed into gym shorts and pulled up his Netflix account. When Eddie came back he was wearing his short red pajama shorts and a wide necked t-shirt that had slipped off his left shoulder. Bill reclined back on his bed and pushed play on the next episode of Merlin while Eddie curled up in the large bean bag Bill had brought from home.

True to his word, Bill dozed off about halfway through the third episode and was snoring away by the end. Eddie switched off the TV and the overhead light, leaving only his small desk lamp on and casting the room in a warm orange glow. He crawled into his own bed and propped himself up against his pillows, then pulled both his sketchbook and envelope of hand photos toward himself. Eddie had already filled five pages of his sketchbook with renditions of the photos, but there was one photo he hadn’t attempted yet. In it were both of the model’s hands, captured in the exact same pose. The pointer fingers and pinkys were stretched out straight while the middle and ring fingers were curled into the palms to meet with the thumbs in the universal sign for rock and roll. It was Eddie’s favorite of the photos. It was also the most intimidating.

Eddie grabbed a pencil and started sketching out basic shapes that he could add detail to later. He lost himself in the process and was just starting to add smaller details to the right hand when he heard a loud creak from above him. Eddie froze. His eyes flicked to the digital clock on Bill’s desk and saw the numbers 3:16 shining back at him. He watched the clock for two long minutes, then just as he was letting out a quiet sigh, the number ticked to 3:19 and another, longer creak echoed through the ceiling.

Eddie’s eye twitched. Calmly setting his sketchbook aside, he slipped to the floor and pushed his feet into his slippers. Taking a long breath in, he listened to the creaking happen a third time then clicked off his desk lamp and left the room.

He felt remarkably calm during his walk up to room 207 despite knowing exactly who he was about to encounter behind that door. He took a moment to massage his temples before reaching up and giving the door three soft knocks. Just like last time the noises from inside the room abruptly stop and Eddie hears someone approach the door. He doesn’t look up as the door is pulled open, instead choosing to squeeze his eyes shut and take a steadying breath.

“Cutie! To what do I owe thi-...” Richie cuts himself off and Eddie looks up to see what stopped him. Richie’s eyes had gone wide and his gaze was locked on where Eddie’s shoulder and collarbone peaked out of the neckline of his shirt. His mouth was slightly open, caught mid word, and his cheeks had turned a faint pink.

Eddie glanced down, belatedly remembering exactly what he’s wearing. Richie was staring at the top of his chest tattoo, where a black star, the end of some large, cursive lettering, and the edges of some colorful flowers were exposed. Eddie snapped his fingers in Richie’s face.

Richie jerked and shook himself back into awareness. His blush faded and when he looked Eddie in the eye, Eddie caught a glint of an emotion he didn’t want to think about.

“My, my, my, cutie! What’s this? You’ve gone and covered yourself in some pretty artwork! I’m embarrassed to say that in all my dreaming of you I never once imagined you with ink and that is a goddamn shame. Now that I know the truth I feel I must mourn the lack in accuracy of my previous fantasies. Care to show me what else you got hiding under those clothes so I know my imagination will do you justice from now on?”

Eddie stared blankly up at Richie and watched him wiggle his eyebrows up and down a couple times before rolling his eyes and choosing to ignore what the taller man said.

“What the fuck are you doing up here, Richie?”

Beyond him, Eddie could see the rooms furniture once again in disarray, but this time he also caught a glimpse of an electric keyboard haphazardly balanced on top of a desk and an acoustic guitar layed on top of one of the beds. Richie’s roommate Stan was nowhere in sight.

Richie watched Eddie survey the room behind him with an ease that Eddie knew he wouldn’t feel if a stranger looked into his room like that. When Eddie looked back up at Richie his eyes were full of mischief.

“I’ll tell you what I’m doing, cutie, but you gotta pay a price.”

Eddie’s face immediately flooded with color while the words, “no roommate, no roommate, no roommate” flashed to the forefront of his brain. Richie smirked like he knew exactly what Eddie was thinking.

“If you wanna know what I’m doing, all you gotta do…” Richie paused dramatically and Eddie felt his shoulders start rising toward his ears. “... is tell me your name.”

The tension left Eddie’s body immediately and he collapsed slightly into himself, exhaling a long sigh and eyes partially closing. Richie looked delightfully amused.

“Why, sunshine. What exactly did you think I was gonna ask of you? Please tell me. In explicit detail. I could be swayed to go with your idea instead.”

Eddie lashed out and punched him in the arm. “If I tell you my name will you stop moving your heavy shit around in the middle of the night?”

Richie perked up. “I promise I will keep the moving of heavy shit to a reasonable hour.”

Eddie sighed then held out his hand for a handshake. “I’m Eddie.”

Richie smiled wide and slid his hand into Eddie’s. It was large and warm and engulfed Eddies smaller hand almost completely. He had to focus really hard to keep breathing normally.

“Eddie, Eddie, Eddie. Nice to officially meet you, Eds.”

Eddie pulled his hand back with a glare. “Don’t call me Eds.” Richie laughed.

Peeking back around Richie’s side in curiosity, Eddie asked, “so what are you doing up here anyway?”

Richie stepped back into his room, leaving the door open in invitation. Eddie took a hesitant step inside letting the door close softly behind him.

“I’m writing a couple new songs.” Now that he was inside the room, Eddie could see that the two desks had been pulled up kitty corner to each other near Richie’s bed. His keyboard sat on one and a pile of loose staff paper on the other. His guitar was within arms reach of the chair placed between the desks. Richie turned the chair to face Eddie then plopped down and looked up at him with a smile.

“New songs?” Eddie furrowed his brows in confusion.

“Yeah, I’m in a band! Keyboard, guitar, and lead vocals. I’m a music performance major.”

Eddie took a couple steps forward in interest, peering curiously at the paper spread across the desk. He could just make out some messy looking music notes and some spiky handwriting when Richie reached out, gathered the papers into a pile and pulled them out of sight.

“Ah, ah, ah! No peeking, it’s not done yet.”

Eddie gave him an unimpressed look and mumbled, “I can’t even read music” under his breath. Louder he asked, “what does writing new songs have to do with moving your furniture around at 3 o’clock in the morning?”

Richie looked sheepish and reached a hand up to rub at the back of his neck. “Sometimes when I get writers block it helps to change up my setup. New perspective, you know?”

“Huh.” Eddie looked around with a new found respect, his anger from the noises having disappeared completely. He looked at Richie out of the corner of his eye then flicked his attention to the keyboard.

Noticing where his eyes had gone, Richie smirked then twisted his chair back to face his keyboard, reaching up to flick it on. “You want me to play something for you, cutie?”

Eddie glared but took another step closer. “You know my name now, don’t fucking call me that.” The words came out much softer than he had intended.

Richie chuckled. “Old habits die hard, Eds.” He brought his hands up and launched into a soft melody before Eddie could correct him again.

[_Dying in LA_ \- Panic! at the Disco]

Eddie’s attention immediately went to Richie’s hands and he let out a sharp gasp. The long fingers moved over the keys effortlessly and Eddie felt something hot unfurl low in his stomach. Richie began to sing.

_“The moment you arrived they built you up _  
_The sun was in your eyes  
_ _You couldn’t believe it…” _

Eddie felt his mouth fall open slightly in shock while the taller man sang. Richie’s voice was beautiful: full and clear and slightly raspy, and Eddie’s stomach twisted in pleasure.

_“... But nobody knows you now _  
_When you’re dying in LA _  
_And nobody owes you now _  
_When you’re dying in LA _  
_When you’re dying in LA _  
_When you’re dying in LA _  
_The power, the power, the power _  
_Oh the power, the power, the power  
_ _Of LA” _

Richie stopped singing after the first chorus, continuing to play the melody for a moment before letting it fade out. He let his hands fall to his lap then looked shyly up at Eddie. “So what do ya think?”

Eddie looked at him in astonishment for a moment. “That was amazing… did you… did you write that?”

Richie beamed at him. “Yeah. It was the first song I wrote after coming to the East coast for college. I’m actually from LA. I’d play you the rest of the song but there’s a whole orchestral part and it just doesn’t sound the same without it.”

Eddie blinked. “I’m sure it sounds just as great without the orchestra.”

“Yeah but the strings really help bring it all together in the way I envisioned it.” Richie spun around in his chair and Eddie was suddenly very aware of how close he’d gotten to the other man. From this height Richie’s eyes were level with Eddie’s collarbones and he wouldn’t even have to extend his arms all the way to touch him.

Richie’s eyes locked into Eddie’s chest tattoo again and he smirked. “So. Spaghed’s.” He reached out and tried to hook his pointer finger into the neckline of Eddie’s shirt but Eddie smacked his hand away as he felt his anger flare again.

“Don’t touch me. And what the fuck? Don’t fucking call me “Spaghed’s” that’s terrible!” He took a couple steps back toward the door as Richie laughed and got to his feet.

“Okay, okay, okay. Eddie.” Richie gave him a slow once over, dragging his eyes down to the hem of his red shorts and back up to his neckline. Eddie flushed. “How about you stick around for awhile? You can make yourself comfortable... Maybe show me what the rest of that tattoo looks like?” He took a predatory step toward Eddie who retreated quickly to the door.

“And that’s my cue to leave.” He yanked the door open and stepped back into the hallway, ignoring the pleasant swoop in his stomach from Richie’s words. Richie chuckled and followed him to the door.

“If you change your mind, you know where to find me!” He sent Eddie a wink as he watched him start down the hallway. Eddie rolled his eyes but sent Richie a small smile anyway.

“Good night, Richie.”

“Night, Eddie. Sweet dreams.”

Eddie gave him a small wave, then disappeared down the stairs back to his dorm.

***

On Monday morning, sitting in the coffee shop just off campus with Bill and Mike, Eddie made a confession.

“So!” Eddie spoke the word sharply to gain his friend’s attention, then took a long sip of his coffee. Once Mike and Bill were looking at him expectantly, he cleared his throat nervously and looked down at the table. “I went to see Richie Saturday night.”

A moment of silence passed and Eddie glanced up to see Mike smirking at him and Bill looking at him in confusion. “B-but Eddie… We were up watching M-M-Merlin until like, 2:30 in the morning.”

Eddie blushed. “Yeah, I went up after you fell asleep. He was moving fucking furniture again.”

“You don’t sound like you hate him anymore. Man must be talented if he made you forget about his “rotten personality”,” Mike teased. He and Bill both took a sip of coffee.

“Yeah,” Eddie said softly, fiddling with his cup. “He is pretty talented.”

Eddie had half a second to register the twin choking noises from across the table before he felt a warm spray of liquid hit his hands. He shrieked and pushed himself away from the table, holding his hands out in front of him in horror. “What the fuck, Bill?”

Bill was staring at him incredulously. “You actually s-s-s-slept with him?!”

“What?” Eddie turned bright red and grabbed some napkins, furiously drying his hands. He looked quickly between Bill and Mike, who was also looking at him in shock, with a furrowed brow. “No, I didn’t fucking sleep with him!” He hissed the last part at his friends while quickly scanning the coffee shop to make sure no one was listening. “Why the fuck would you think that?”

“You literally just told us you went to visit the hot guy that you hate at like 3 o’clock in the morning. And then you told us that he’s talented. How were we _supposed_ to interpret that, Eddie?”

He turned his head to the side with a pout, then started looking through his bag for hand sanitizer. Once his hands were sufficiently sanitized, he looked back up at his friends who were still looking at him expectantly. He inhaled slowly and went back to fiddling with his cup.

“If you didn’t s-sleep with him, what happened?”

Eddie smiled softly. “I just… I learned some stuff about him. Had an actual conversation. He might not be quite as awful as I thought.” He looked up sharply. “He’s still an annoying asshole though. I swear he thinks with his dick, and he called me “Spaghed’s”, like what the fuck? Who comes up with that shit?”

Mike and Bill exchanged an amused glance.

“So you just went up and had a pleasant conversation?” Mike raised his eyebrow at Eddie in disbelief.

Eddie squirmed under his gaze. “No. He uh… he actually played me a song.”

“A song.”

“Yes, a song.”

A moment of silence. “Care to elaborate?”

Eddie’s face was on fire. “He’s a music performance major. He’s in a band. He was writing some new stuff and played me part of an old song he’d written.”

When he peeked up at his friends they were both looking at him fondly. “What?”

They chuckled. “N-nothing. It’s just nice to see you like this. You’re c-cute when you have a crush.”

“Shut up, Bill!” Eddie crosses his arms defensively over his chest. “I’m not cute and I don’t have a crush! I have a pain in the ass who just happens to be not as unbearable as I thought.”

“Sounds like he could be a literal pain in your ass if you let him,” Mike grinned wide as Eddie let out a scandalized gasp and threw his dirty napkin at him. The three quickly dissolved into giggles.

“Alright, you guys are the worst and I love you. I’m gonna head to class before you can make fun of me some more,” Eddie drained the last of his coffee and rose to his feet. Bill blew him a kiss.

“L-l-love you, Eddie!”

Mike leaned back and casually flung his arm over the back of Bill’s chair, wiping a fake tear from his eye. “Your father and I are so proud of you, son.”

Eddie rolled his eyes so hard they hurt. “I haven’t even done anything,” he mumbled. “Bye, dads,” he turned and started toward the door, and if he noticed Bill’s light blush and the way he leaned into Mike ever so slightly, he didn’t mention it; just smiled and filed it away for later.

***

When Eddie pulled out his sketchbook to finish his hand assignment Wednesday morning before class, something started nagging at the back of his mind. A creeping sense of recognition filled him but it was like his head was underwater and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t reach the surface. An image of long fingers moving gracefully over an electric keyboard filled his head, but he quickly shook it away.

The drawing he had started Saturday night was almost finished. Eddie just needed to add some finishing details, but whenever he put his pencil to the paper he just couldn’t seem to get the final touches right. With a sigh of annoyance, he erased his latest attempt and decided to just leave it unfinished.

When he walked into his drawing class, he did not see a new body part written on the board, but he did see a new pile of envelopes sitting on a table off to the side of the room. Sam gave him a wave as Eddie settled into his seat.

“Hey, Eddie. How’d this weeks assignment treat ya?” Sam approached him with a kind smile.

“Good!” Eddie pulled his sketchbook out of his bag. “It went really well. There was only one pose I really struggled with.” He opened his book to where his hand drawings started and slid it across the table so Sam could flip through them.

“These are excellent, Eddie! Great work!” Sam flipped to the last page where the incomplete drawing was. “Ahh. I see what you mean. This pose is tricky and extremely difficult to do realistically. Is that what you were trying for?”

“Yeah,” Eddie sighed but kept a small smile of his face. “I couldn’t get the shading right and all the little lines was just making it look messy.”

“Nothing wrong with a little mess every once in a while.” Sam slid his sketchbook back over the table. “I think you’re gonna like this weeks assignment. I put another challenge pose in your envelope.”

Eddie perked up as Sam moved to check in with the rest of his classmates, then let out a soft “ohh!” of interest as Sam moved to the front of the room and wrote, “mouths” on the white board.

“Wonderful job this week everyone! Seriously. I’m impressed. Hands are one of the most difficult parts of the body to draw and you guys knocked it out of the park!” He moved to gather the new envelopes into his arms and began passing them out. “I want you guys to hang onto those photos. You can continue to practice throughout the rest of the unit.

“Now we’re moving things to the face. At first glance, the mouth may seem deceptively easy, but I challenged your models to come up with poses that would make you really focus on the details. We’re talking teeth. Tongues. Maybe some food is involved. Some of you may also find a nose snuck in there somewhere.” He looked at Eddie as he said this and gave him a wink. Eddie looked intriguingly at his new envelope.

“Same guidelines as last week. I want one realistic drawing of a pose of your choice and then you’re free to experiment as you see fit. Questions?”

Sam dismisses them a moment later with the promise to be available via email if any questions did come up. Eddie grabbed his stuff and waved to Sam as he left the room.

***

He didn’t get a chance to open his new envelope of photos until he was tucked into bed that night. When he did, he was met with the sight of full, pink lips and a subtle overbite. The sense of recognition began to creep over him again and it wasn’t until Eddie flipped to the final photo that he realized why. He sucked in a shocked breath and froze, eyes locked on the photo. In it, the model’s mouth was slightly parted, left side of the upper lip raised in a snarl with the tip of a tongue peeking out between large, slightly crooked teeth. Above the snarling lip was a nose, also crinkled up on the left side, and looped through the left nostril was a small silver hoop.

Eddie’s mind reeled and his thoughts immediately turned to Richie and how he had looked in the hallway the first night Eddie went up to confront him. He remembered his hair in a half bun, black studs in his earlobes, and a silver hoop in his nose. He thought of the hand photos tucked into the other envelope sitting on his desk and how they had constantly reminded him of piano playing hands. He shook his head in disbelief.

“No. There’s no way. What are the fucking chances?”

Eddie was hit by an overwhelming desire to run up to Richie’s room and prove himself wrong. He was just starting to push off his blankets when Bill came into the room, face flushed from spending the evening riding bikes with Mike.

“Hey, Eddie!” Bill smiled at him widely, then furrowed his eyebrows. “What’s got you looking so sp-spooked?”

Eddie shook his head quickly and stuffed his new photos back into their envelope. He threw them onto his desk with the other one. “Nothing, Big Bill! How was your date?”

Bill turned crimson and narrowed his eyes. “It w-w-wasn’t a date!”

Eddie hummed in disbelief and laughed when Bill flashed him his middle finger. He laid down and watched as Bill started getting ready for bed. “You know it would be okay if it _was_ a date, right Bill?”

Bill tensed for a moment then let out a long sigh. He turned to give Eddie a soft smile. “I know. I just d-don’t know for sure if that’s where w-we’re headed.”

Eddie smiled at him fondly. “I’m sure it’ll all work out.”

An hour later, Bill was snoring away while Eddie lay wide awake, staring at the ceiling. He almost wished Richie would start moving his furniture again so he’d have an excuse to go see him. When the noises never came, Eddie sighed and closed his eyes, preparing himself for a restless night.

***

“Lets go dancing tonight!”

Friday afternoon found Eddie, Bill, and Mike spread out on top of a large blanket under a cluster of trees on the edge of campus. All three were done with classes for the weekend and were enjoying the warmth of the sun, knowing winter was right around the corner. Mike was stretched out on his back, arms behind his head and eyes closed with Bill’s head pillowed on his stomach. Eddie, who was laying on his front and lazily swinging his legs in the air behind him, reached forward to poke Mike in the ribs.

“Mike, I wanna go dancing.”

Mike opened one eye and gave Eddie a lazy smile. “You wanna go to The Clubhouse?”

“Yes!” Eddie sat up excitedly. “It’s been so long since the three of us actually went out!”

“It h-has been a long t-t-time, hasn’t it?” Bill sat up and stretched, then propped himself up on one arm to look between his friends. “I’m g-game if you are, M-Mikey.”

“Yes!” Eddie threw an arm around Bill’s shoulders and they turned twin puppy dog eyes to Mike who had closed his eye again and couldn’t see them. He laughed as if he could.

“I can feel both of you looking at me with those doe eyes of yours. There’s really no need, I’m in.”

Eddie cheered and launched himself down on top of Mike, pulling Bill with him into a group hug. They laughed, then when they regained their breath, Mike looked at them fondly. “You guys wanna grab some stuff and come over to my place to eat and get ready? You can crash there tonight.”

Eddie and Bill quickly agreed then rose to their feet. Eddie grabbed the blanket and folded it over his arm, before the three of them made their way to the dorm.

Bill packed quickly, throwing a nice pair of jeans and a fitted button up into a bag for tonight, and some gym shorts to sleep in. Eddie took much longer, standing in front of his closet and perusing his options for close to 10 minutes before finally deciding on a pair of tight, red and black plaid pants and a low cut, v-neck white t-shirt. When he grabbed his toiletry bag, he made sure to throw in a tube of black mascara and some silver body glitter.

At Mike’s, Eddie grabbed first dibs on the shower while the other two started making dinner. When he finished, the apartment was full of the scent of tomato sauce and pasta. Upon exiting the bathroom he found Bill sat on top of the counter looking at Mike shyly as he finished cooking. Eddie sent him a wink and a grin when they made eye contact causing Bill to blush and stick out his tongue.

After dinner, Mike and Bill each took quick showers then let Eddie have the bathroom to get ready while they got dressed. When Eddie emerged, eyelashes long and dark with mascara, and glitter high on his cheekbones, Mike let out a whistle.

“Damn, Kaspbrak! You trying to be the center of attention tonight?”

Eddie giggled and rolled his eyes. With a little pleading, Eddie convinced both Bill and Mike to let him add glitter to their cheeks as well, then with a final look in the mirror and an extra streak of glitter added to the cursive lettering of his exposed chest tattoo, Eddie ushered his friends out the door.

When they arrived at The Clubhouse, a stage was being set up along the far wall and upbeat music was playing through the speakers. The lights were low and there was a small crowd of people mingling by the bar. Eddie grabbed Bill and Mike by the hands and dragged them over to order drinks.

“Hi! Can we get three vodka shots, an IPA, and two Moscow Mules, please?”

“You got it, sweets.” The woman behind the bar was middle aged with a kind smile. She handed over their shots and poured the IPA (which Eddie immediately slid over to Mike), then turned to start making the Moscow Mules when Mike leaned onto the bar and asked, “Is there a band playing tonight?”

“Sure is! It’s made up of a few kids from the University. They play a 30 minute set here every Friday night. Call themselves The Kissing Bridge.”

“Are t-they any good?” The trio clinked their shots together and downed them as the bartender placed the two Mules on the bar top in front of Bill and Eddie. She sent them a wink as she took Eddie’s card to start a tab.

“We wouldn’t have them back every week if they weren’t.”

She turned to start taking other orders so the trio grabbed their drinks and settled at a small table near the edge of the dance floor. About halfway through their drinks, the music playing through the speakers faded out and four people climbed onto the stage. Eddie, who had his back turned and was halfway through telling Bill and Mike about a funny accident he witnessed at the coffee shop early that week, didn’t notice until the music started.

[_Another Life on Mars_ \- The Maine]

The song started as noise. All of a sudden there were four different instruments playing random notes and rhythms. Eddie’s eyebrows were just starting to furrow in confusion when all of the instruments stopped except for a keyboard and vocalist.

_“This one goes out to my closest friends _  
_The ones who make me feel less alien _  
_I do not think I would be here if not for them…”_

Eddie’s eyes widened and he whipped his head around so quickly that he almost knocked over the table. There at the front of the stage, standing just off center behind an electric keyboard, was Richie. His hair was once again pulled back into a half bun, with several loose curls hanging over his forehead, and he was wearing an oversized, rust colored knit sweater. His eyes were closed behind the thick lenses of his glasses as he sang into a microphone. Behind him, Eddie recognized Richie’s roommate Stan with an electric guitar, the gorgeous red haired woman Eddie had seen Richie smoking with standing next to him with a bass, and an attractive, kind faced, blond man sitting behind a drumset.

Eddie stared, eyes locked on Richie, and didn’t notice the look of concern that passed between Bill and Mike behind him.

“Uh… Eddie? W-What’s going on?” Eddie didn’t hear Bill’s question, just watched transfixed as the rest of band joined Richie for the chorus.

_“What’s another night on Mars? _  
_With friends like ours _  
_Anywhere is home...”_

A hand came down on his shoulder making Eddie jump. When he tore his gaze away and turned around he was met with two identical looks of curiosity. “What’s wrong?”

Eddie shook his head, eyes still wide, and gestured vaguely to the stage. “That’s Richie.”

Understanding flashed across his friends faces and they both looked back at the stage with newfound interest. When Eddie looked back, Stan had moved up to stand beside Richie and was leaning in to sing into the same microphone with him, taking over the chorus with the other two band members while Richie added words over them.

_“What’s another night on Mars? (What’s one more night?) _  
_With friends like ours _  
_Anywhere is home (We’re here under the stars) _

_What’s another night on Mars? (I hear you singing) _  
_With friends like ours (This is home, this is home, this is home) _  
_Anywhere is home...”_

Eddie watched enthralled, at the way the four people on stage seamlessly interacted and played off of each other. The smile on Richie’s face was huge, bringing Eddie’s attention to his mouth. He knew immediately that his suspicions about his art model were correct and felt an increasingly familiar heat unfurl in his stomach.

As the song came to a close, the crowd cheered loudly, causing Richie to laugh in delight, nose scrunching slightly and spotlight glinting off of the silver hoop through his left nostril. He stepped out from behind the keyboard and pulled the mike stand to the center of the stage.

“Hey, how’s it going tonight?”, he asked as he pulled a second electric guitar off of a stand and threw the strap over his shoulder. He was met with louder screams. “Thank you all so much for coming out tonight! Welcome to The Clubhouse, we’re The Kissing Bridge and we will be your feature presentation for the next 25 minutes.” He quickly surveyed the room, making Eddie hold his breath then release it in relief when Richie didn’t notice him. “I hope you all brought your dancing shoes tonight, so grab a drink, let loose, and enjoy! Lets see those dance moves!”

[_NICE TO MEET YA!_ \- The Griswolds]

The band launched into the next song as people rushed to the dance floor. Eddie downed the rest of his Mule and turned to see Bill and Mike pressed close together and whispering to each other. He had a sneaking suspicion they were talking about him. He raised his empty mug and motioned to them that he was going to get a refill. Upon receiving a thumbs up from Bill, he made his way to the bar and ordered just as the song came to the bridge.

_“You’re always on my mind _  
_You fixed the broken pieces of my old life _  
_I need you around _  
_And I can only see it now…”_

The band was good. Really good. It was clear that all four members were incredible musicians, and Eddie felt a moment of regret that it had taken so long to pay any real attention to the members who weren’t Richie.

He accepted his new drink from the bartender and made his way back to the table where Bill and Mike were starting to stand.

“W-We’re gonna g-go dance! Wanna come?”

Eddie grinned up at them, noticing the hand Mike had on Bill’s lower back, and the pink blush on Bill’s cheeks. “In a few minutes. Go get yourselves warmed up! I’m gonna have this drink first, and then I’ll join you.”

His friends nodded and disappeared into the crowd. Eddie could just make out the top of Mike’s head near the center of the dance floor.

As the song came to an end, Eddie turned his attention back to the band. Richie took off his guitar, placed it back on its stand, and returned to the keyboard. “Here’s one that’s a little more mellow for you guys!”, he announced. He flicked a switch on his keyboard, and when he started playing, the notes had a slight twang to them.

[_Undisclosed Desires_ \- Muse]

Eddie drank his second Mule quickly and found it increasingly more difficult to turn his attention away from Richie. He was starting to feel pleasantly buzzed and the heat in his stomach was intensifying.

The song was halfway over when Richie finally made eye contact with him.

Just as they were starting in on the second chorus, Richie looked up, and it was as if Eddie was standing in his own spotlight. He saw Richie’s eyes grow wide behind his glasses and his smile became blinding.

_“I want to reconcile the violence in your heart _  
_I want to recognize your beauty’s not just a mask _  
_I want to exorcise the demons from your past _  
_I want to satisfy the undisclosed desires in your heart…”_

Richie didn’t look away from Eddie even once as the song played out, and Eddie could feel his skin burning under his gaze. He finished his drink and found himself unable to look away. Stan and the other two band members quickly noticed that something had caught Richie’s eye and suddenly Eddie found himself being watched by all four of them. His skin flushed darker. Despite the split in their attention, the band continued playing flawlessly, as if performing this song was second nature to them.

When the song finished, Richie stared at him in silence for a moment while the crowd cheered, then blinked quickly and sent Eddie a wink. He turned to grab his guitar and said a few quiet words to his band mates. Stan raised an eyebrow at him, then rolled his eyes with the hint of a grin. The drummer shrugged and nodded, and the red haired woman smiled. Richie approached the microphone.

“So, it has come to my attention that there are still some cuties who haven’t put their dancing shoes on yet.” He looked at Eddie with a smirk. “This next song should remedy that.”

[_I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor_ \- Arctic Monkeys]

They launched into their most upbeat song yet, Richie looking away from Eddie long enough to face off with Stan during the intro, then locked eyes with him again as he moved back to the mike to start singing.

_“Stop making the eyes at me _  
_I’ll stop making the eyes at you _  
_What it is that surprises me _  
_Is that I don’t really want you to…”_

Eddie raised his eyebrow, finally feeling his blush start to fade in the face of a silent challenge. Richie was practically daring him to start dancing and Eddie was not one to back down from a dare. He sent Richie his own smirk when they got to the chorus, and began pushing his way through the crowd to get to Bill and Mike.

_“I bet that you look good on the dancefloor _  
_I don’t know if you’re looking for romance or _  
_I don’t know what you’re looking for _  
_I said, I bet that you look good on the dancefloor _  
_Dancing to electro-pop like a robot from 1984 _  
_Well, from 1984…”_

When Eddie reached his friends, he found them smack dab in the center of the dance floor, face to face, and barely a breath of space between them. Mike’s hands were low on Bill’s hips and one of Bill’s hands was resting on Mike’s chest, the other raised above him as they jumped and shimmied to the music. Eddie was struck suddenly by how striking the two looked together. Mike’s dark skin and black hair contrasted well against Bill’s pale features and red locks. The glitter on their cheeks glinted in the low light, giving them an ethereal glow. Eddie glanced at Richie once more to see his attention had not wavered, still staring Eddie down with a challenging smirk. He looked back at his friends, then slid in close to Bill’s back, placing one hand on top of Mike’s on Bill’s hip and sliding his other into Bill’s hair as he effortlessly matched his movements to their rhythm. The pair looked at him joyfully over Bill’s shoulder.

“Glad you finally joined us, lover boy!”

Eddie smiled, giving an exaggerated roll of his hips, and didn’t bother correcting him. He didn’t look back but he could feel Richie’s eyes burning into him. “Well, now that I’ve got his attention, I’ve got to put on a show, don’t I?” He gave them a mischievous look.

Bill and Mike shared a knowing smirk and quickly pulled Eddie between them, Mike pressing into his back, chin hooked over his shoulder, and Bill in front of him, leaning down to press their foreheads together, not once stopping their synchronized movements. The three of them had done this many times before. They knew they looked good together, had gotten many compliments and propositions based on the way they moved, but Eddie was always the shining star of the night. He knew he could dance and wasn’t afraid to make himself look absolutely sinful if it meant keeping all eyes on him.

The song ended but the trio held their positions, breathing heavily into each other as they waited for the next song to start. Eddie chanced a quick look at Richie and saw that his eyes had gone dark and half lidded as he stared at Eddie almost hungrily. Eddie smirked at him and winked. Over Richie’s shoulder, Eddie could see with a soft noise of surprise that Stan’s eyes were also locked on them, flicking quickly between Bill and Mike unblinkingly. His eyes never landed on Eddie.

“Looks like you guys have your own admirer,” Eddie motioned toward the stage subtly with his head as a slower, more sensual song started. He felt both men turn to look and saw a predatory smirk climb onto Stan’s face when he made eye contact with them. He very obviously raked his eyes down Bill’s body, then did the same to Mike.

“Oh, w-wow.” Bill breathed out a flustered breath and turned pink. Mike raised an eyebrow and made a noise of interest.

“How about we give them both a show?” Eddie suggested slyly. He received a grin from Bill and a slight nod against his shoulder from Mike. Eddie caught Richie’s gaze again as he fisted one hand into the front of Bill’s button up, pulling him even closer, and reached the other up to curl around the back of Mike’s neck.

[_Gorgeous_ \- X Ambassadors]

_“I might be better off without you _  
_There’s too many people all around you _  
_All these vultures that surround you _  
_They don’t know a thing about you…”_

Eddie’s knees went weak and he had to cling to Bill and Mike harder when Richie raised his voice to a falsetto to sing the chorus.

_“You’re so gorgeous _  
_‘Cause you make me feel gorgeous _  
_Oh, so gorgeous _  
_‘Cause you make me feel gorgeous…”_

Eddie let his eyes fall closed and focused on the press of his best friends against him. Physical proximity and affection had always been easy for the three of them, and dancing was no exception. Eddie never felt a moment of self consciousness or judgement around Mike or Bill and he cherished every moment of it.

The three danced pressed together for the remainder of the song, then Bill grabbed Eddie’s hand with a large grin and gave him a twirl, making Eddie laugh loudly. He barely noticed when the next song started.

[_Boyfriend_ \- Walk the Moon]

_“Do you have a boyfriend?...”_

Their dancing quickly dissolved into jumping up and down and spinning each other, bright grins on their happy, flushed faces. Eddie had almost forgotten that Richie was watching him when he turned mid jump and caught his eye as Richie was starting the second verse.

_“You could be my number one _  
_Mix-tape queen _  
_We could have some dirty fun _  
_In my Jurassic Park jeep…”_

Richie wiggled his eyebrows and Eddie let out a surprised laugh. Richie was still looking at him with darkened eyes but he now also had a fond smile on his lips. Rather than turning back to Bill and Mike, Eddie remained facing the stage, letting the two dance together again under Stan’s watchful eyes.

_"Dirty dancing_  
_First kiss_  
_How good is our chemistry_  
_Body Language_  
_Breath mints_  
_Watch your lips as you speak to me"_

Eddie cheered with the rest of the crowd as the song ended and Richie took a long drink of water. He took his guitar off and dragged the microphone back over to his keyboard.

“Alright, ladies and gents. We’ve only got one more for you tonight.” A loud disappointed “aww” rose from the dancefloor making Richie chuckle. “I know, I know! Lucky for you we’ll be back, same time, same place, next Friday. For now, here’s a brand new one to close us out. We’ve been The Kissing Bridge, and you have been the best damn crowd we could have hoped for!”

[_Seeing Stars_ \- BØRNS]

Richie finally looked away from Eddie and turned to clap his hands with the bassist as Stan opened their last song with a guitar lick. At the first chorus, Richie looked at him again.

_“You’ve got me seeing stars, brighter than ever _  
_Shining just like diamonds do _  
_I know that in time it could be all ours, brighter than ever _  
_Your love is such a dream come true _  
_I know, I know, I know I need you _  
_I know, I know, I know I need you…”_

After that Richie closed his eyes and kept them closed until the last word was sung and the band fell into silence. He opened them as the crowd erupted in cheers.

“Thank you! Thank you. Again, we’ve been The Kissing Bridge! Good night!”

The band turned to congratulate each other on a show well done while prerecorded music once again began to pour from the club’s speakers. The crowd resumed dancing and Eddie turned back to his friends.

“I’m gonna go grab Bill and I some new drinks, you want anything?” Mike asked as he motioned toward the bar. Eddie shook his head and told them he was going to stay and dance some more. Bill headed back to their small table to rest for a bit, leaving Eddie by himself in the middle of the dance floor.

A couple minutes later, Eddie felt large hands wrap around his hips and an oversized body press close against his back. He glanced down and saw the cuffs of rust orange sleeves peeking around his sides and smirked. A warm breath tickled the hair behind his ear.

“Do you have _any_ idea how hard it was to stay on that stage when you were down here looking so _fucking_ delectable?”

Eddie’s smirk grew as he leaned back into the taller man and tilted his head to look up at his face. “Hi, Richie.”

Richie growled and pulled Eddie even tighter against him, dark, dilated eyes roaming over his face, watching the way the glitter on his cheekbones caught the room’s dim lighting. “God, Eddie,” he breathed, noticing the glitter rubbed into his chest over his exposed tattoo. He groaned and spun Eddie around to face him, pulling him close again as he hungrily took in the tattoo he hadn’t seen yet. Sparkling under the glitter were the words, “No Dice” written in large, flowing cursive. On either side, just poking out of his neckline on his outer collarbones were two black stars. The flowers Richie had seen in his tattoo the first time were almost completely hidden. “You are so _fucking_ beautiful.”

Eddie flushed pleasantly, the alcohol in his system making him preen under Richie’s praise instead of feeling annoyed as he usually did. Their foreheads were pressed together, one of Richie’s hands curled around Eddie’s hip and the other around the back of his neck, so large that he was able to stroke his thumb gently over Eddie’s jaw. They were moving together slowly, eyes locked, hips (not quite lining up properly due to the height difference) rocking back and forth in sync. Richie was looking at Eddie as if he was the only person in the room and Eddie felt a sudden surge of power flow into him at the knowledge that he had brought him to that point. He leaned in to press his mouth to Richie’s ear. “Buy me a drink?”

Richie smiled brightly and squeezed Eddie’s hip. “Anything you want.” He grabbed his hand, watching intently as he laced their fingers together, then smirked smugly when Eddie allowed it with a hint of a smile. He tugged them gently over to the bar where they found the drummer and bassist of Richie’s band laughing with the bartender. The bassist noticed them first and gave Richie a knowing smirk.

“Well, if it isn’t our love struck leader and the sexy little tease from the dance floor!” She gave Eddie a once over. “I’ve gotta say, if I wasn’t happily taken and Rich hadn’t been making his “wreck me” eyes, I woulda been _all_ over you once our set was done, hot stuff.” She winked.

Eddie flushed and stifled a laugh behind his free hand as Richie made an affronted noise. “Molly Ringwald, you keep those seductive, bedroom eyes on Haystack and away from the innocent cuties I’m trying to woo!”

He unlaced their fingers and threw a protective arm over Eddie’s shoulder, pulling him back into his chest. Eddie looked up at him, unimpressed. “Is that you call this? Wooing?” Richie gave him a wink then turned to his laughing friends.

“Bevvy, Ben-jammin’, this little firecracker is Eddie. Eds, Bev and Ben. The most sickeningly in love couple you’ll ever have the displeasure of meeting.”

Bev stuck her tongue out at Richie while the drummer, Ben, laughed and waved hello. Eddie waved back then turned to the bartender who was already placing another Mule on the bartop in front of him. He raised his eyebrows and looked at her with a small smile. She winked at him then looked up at Richie.

“And what are you drinking tonight, sweetheart? The usual?”

“If you would be so kind, Carol, dearest! And put this cutie’s drink on my tab?”

Carol gave Richie a fond look and started making a brightly colored mixed drink while Richie scanned the crowd near the bar in confusion. “Where’s Stan The Man?”

Ben snorted into his beer while Bev laughed. “You should ask Eddie. He made a bee line for the two guys he was grinding with during our set.”

Eddie perked up at the mention of his friends and turned, rising onto his tiptoes to try to see over the crowd. Over at the table the three of them had claimed earlier in the evening, he could just make out the tops of Bill and Mike’s heads, tilted together with a third head of curly light brown hair leaning in almost as close. Richie glanced down when he felt Eddie move, a warm pulse of affection flowing through him as he noticed that even on tiptoes the top of Eddie’s head barely reached his chin. He followed his gaze and let out a surprised laugh. “Well _he_ certainly doesn’t waste any time!”

Ben cleared his throat and looked at Eddie curiously. “It doesn’t bother you?”

Eddie looked at him blankly. “No, why?”

“It’s just… the three of you looked awful close on the dance floor earlier. You’re not… involved in any way?”

Eddie felt Richie freeze against him and glanced up to see him watching him intently, waiting for his answer. He felt a sudden urge to comfort the taller man, and chalked it up to the alcohol in his system as he reached up and gently squeezed Richie’s arm where it had slid onto his chest. “Bill and Mike are my best friends. Have been for a long time. I’ve known Bill since we were toddlers and Mike since he moved to our hometown in high school.” He looked down with a soft smile and took a sip of his drink. He felt Richie relax behind him. “We’ve been through a lot together. Helped each other through a lot of shit. The touching and physical affection started our sophomore year when I was having a hard time at home with my mom. I would sneak out and we’d all meet at Bill’s and curl up together on a bunch of blankets and pillows on the floor and watch movies or listen while Mike read us stories. Mike likes to call them “cuddle puddles”. We still do it every once in a while.” He glanced back in Bill and Mike’s direction, oblivious to the gentle smiles he was getting from his three listeners. “It just kind of became a thing after that. A comfort and a confidence thing. I always feel safe and happy and unselfconscious when we’re together like that. It’s never been a romantic or a sexual thing, at least not with me.” He chuckled. “Bill and Mike have been dancing around each other for years though. Maybe Stan will be exactly what they need to finally get their shit together.”

“Cute, cute, _cute_!”

The sound of Richie’s breathed exclamation broke Eddie out of his thoughts and he flushed darkly as he turned back to the group around him. Bev and Ben were both looking at him softly. He couldn’t see Richie’s face but he would guess it held a similar expression.

“Sorry. That was a lot. I don’t even know you guys.”

Bev tutted and pushed out the stool next to her. “Don’t you worry your pretty little head over it. I think we’re gonna be fast friends.”

Richie made a noise of protest as Eddie extracted himself from his grasp and moved to sit next to Bev. He finally grabbed his drink from the bar (a Sex on the Beach because Richie thought the name was hilarious and ordered it as a joke as soon as he was old enough to drink. The joke was on him though, because it was delicious and he couldn’t stop drinking them), and followed Eddie like a shadow, pressing into the space behind his and Bev’s barstools.

Time passed quickly as the four of them chatted and Eddie found himself falling into a feeling of comfort he rarely feels outside of Bill and Mike.

Ben was lovely and amazingly sweet. He spoke to Eddie about school and listened with rapt attention as Eddie talked about his different art classes. He asked him what he wanted to do after college (teach high school art) and shared how he had always wanted to be an architect but how that dream had taken a back burner to music when he discovered his love of drumming in middle school.

Beverly was captivating. She was loud and opinionated and wasn’t afraid to tell Richie off for telling a terrible joke. Eddie laughed so hard he had tears in his eyes when she loudly boo’d something Richie had said and followed it up with, “Beep, beep, you fucking Trashmouth! Learn some real jokes!”

Richie was… surprisingly charming. Eddie wanted to be annoyed by his ceaseless flirting and grade school humor, but instead found himself laughing uproariously and leaning into where Richie’s hand was wrapped loosely around his hip. He felt pleasantly warm all over and spent more time than he cared to admit looking up into Richie’s handsome face. He watched Richie’s mouth as he talked, mesmerized by how pink and full his lips looked from this close, and swept his eyes across his cheeks and the bridge of his nose where a faint dusting of freckles were trying to hide. He found himself wanting to run a gentle finger over Richie’s nose ring.

Richie caught his eye once and winked at him with a smug smile as if he knew exactly what Eddie was thinking. Eddie tried to glare but it came out looking more like a desperate pout.

He was pulled out of his thoughts abruptly as Bill, Mike, and Stan approached their group. He made a happy noise and roughly pushed Richie to the side (to the immense amusement of Bev and Stan) before launching himself into Mike’s arms. Mike laughed, wrapping his arms tightly around Eddie as Bill smiled and stroked a hand through Eddie’s hair. Eddie looked up at them adoringly.

“Mike! Bill! This is Richie and Bev and Ben and they’re great and they should be our best friends _immediately_.”

Bev cooed softly in the background while Mike and Bill laughed.

“S-Sure, Eddie. And this is S-S-Stan. He’s also p-pretty great!”

Eddie looked at Stan appraisingly for a long moment. They appeared to be having a silent conversation at the end of which, Stan raised a questioning eyebrow. Eddie grinned.

“Hi Stan! You’re really pretty, I hope everything works out between you and Bill and Mike but if you hurt them I have to warn you I’m stronger than I look and I _will_ kick your ass.”

Ben choked on his beer and Richie cackled as Bill turned bright red. Stan appeared slightly flustered and let out a weak laugh. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Mike rolled his eyes and gently pat Eddie on the back. “It’s getting kinda late. How about you close our tab and we go cuddle puddle and watch Hocus Pocus?”

“Michael, that is the _best_ idea I have ever heard in my _life_.”

He turned back to the bar and closed his tab with Carol then turned to give Ben and Bev hugs goodbye. “We should hang out again soon! Get my number from Richie. Text me literally whenever.”

Richie looked at him in confusion. “Uh… Eds, sweetheart. I don’t _have_ your number.”

Eddie smirked at him then grabbed a napkin from the bar, quickly scribbling his phone number on it. He approached Richie who was watching him with wide eyes and wrapped him in a hug, sliding his hand and the napkin into Richie’s back pocket. He gave his ass a firm squeeze, reveling in the sharp intake of breath he received then pulled back with a wink. “Yes, you do.”

Richie stared at him in wonder, mouth slightly parted and cheeks faintly pink. Eddie backed away from the group slowly, giving Stan a quick salute, then waving before turning to lock arms with his friends. Eddie pulled Bill and Mike out of the club, small smile on his face as Bev’s laugh echoed behind them.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Cutie, if you keep looking at me with those big old doe eyes of yours, I might have an actual heart attack.”

When Eddie woke up the next morning it was to a pounding head and a face full of red hair. He was curled tightly against Bill’s back, wrapped snugly in a warm blanket on Mike’s apartment floor. He sat up, squinting slightly against the morning light filtering in through the windows and saw that Mike was already up, standing at the stove in the kitchen making pancakes. There were two glasses of water and a bottle of pain killers waiting on the counter. 

“Mikey, you are an actual angel.” Eddie untangled himself from Bill and stood up, walking over to Mike to wrap his arms around his waist from behind and kiss him firmly on the shoulder blade. Mike smiled at him fondly over his shoulder.

“Mornin’, Eddie.” Eddie hummed in response and let go, moving to the counter to swallow three pain killers and down one of the glasses of water. His head felt heavy and he let it fall to the countertop as he took a seat on one of Mike’s barstools. The vinyl was cool against his warm skin, and he let out a quiet moan at the contrast. Mike huffed out a laugh.

“Go a little too hard last night?” There was no judgement in Mike’s tone, just fond sympathy. He flipped the pancake that was currently cooking then unhooked Eddie’s phone from where it had been charging and slid it across the counter to him. “I hope you at least remember everything. Otherwise, you’re gonna have a very disappointed unknown number on your hands. He’s been texting you for at least 45 minutes.”

Eddie’s breath caught in his throat and his eyes went wide as he suddenly remembered exactly who he had spent a large chunk of the night before with. He could almost feel the phantom touch of a long arm wrapped around him, pulling him into a warm body. He remembered laughing uncontrollably, shamelessly flirting, and squeezing Richie’s (admittedly very nice) ass as he hugged him goodbye. Eddie felt hot all over. A nervous swoop tied his stomach in knots.

“Oh my god.” 

His phone vibrated with a new notification and Eddie could see he had many unread texts from several different unknown numbers. He lifted his head and stared at it in horror until the screen went dark. 

“Oh my god.”

He distantly heard a snort from Mike and the sound of Bill waking up behind him. His phone lit up again.

“Oh my god.”

A hand came down on his shoulder as Bill came up next to him, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “W-w-what’s going on?”

“Eddie just remembered that he gave Richie his number last night. He’s freaking out.” Mike gave Bill a warm smile as he rounded the counter with two plates in his hands. He placed one in front of each of them and accepted Bill’s shy kiss on the cheek as thanks.

“W-Well what did he s-say?”

Eddie snapped to awareness at Bill’s question. “I don’t know. I haven’t read the texts yet.” His phone lit up again. “Fuck!” Mike and Bill laughed as they dug into their pancakes. Eddie suddenly remembered Stan and snapped his head up to look between his friends with a sly smile.

“Sooo… Stan was nice…” he giggled as Bill blushed crimson and Mike ducked his head shyly. “You guys gonna hang out with him again?”

Mike glanced at Bill from the corner of his eye. “Yeah, I think so.”

Eddie gasped and turned so he was facing the two of them completely. He looked between them with wide eyes, trying to hold his excitement at bay. “Wait, really? Like… a date? As in… all three of you? As in… the two of you…” Eddie trailed off and waited with bated breath as Mike and Bill looked at each other with shy, fond faces.

“Y-yeah. Like a d-date.”

Eddie shrieked and lunged at Bill, pulling him into a tight hug, then ran to do the same to Mike. Eddie had tears in his eyes as he pulled back to look between them gleefully. “This is my favorite thing that has ever happened in the history of forever! I’m so happy for you guys!”

Mike smiled at him. “Thanks, Eddie.”

Eddie sat back down and the trio finished eating breakfast, Eddie demanding to know how they got together and what Stan did to seduce them.

“I w-wouldn’t call it seducing, Eddie.” Bill rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “He w-w-was very bold though. Told us exactly w-what he wanted. He was surprised when we told him we w-weren’t actually together.”

“But you are now?”

“Yes. We are. And whether or not this thing with Stan works out, we will continue to be.” Mike wrapped an arm around Bill’s shoulder and pulled him tightly into his side. Bill looked at him with an expression that was so soft and sweet that Eddie’s eyes started to tear up again. He was torn from the moment when his phone lit up with _ another _ notification. He sent it a heated glare.

“Eddie. Just read them. It can’t be _ that _bad.”

He took in a large lungful of air and let it out shakily, pulling his phone towards himself. He steeled himself for the onslaught, then unlocked it and opened his messaging app. He had texts from four different unknown numbers. He opened the oldest one first.

**[from unknown number] 11:47pm  
** _ Hey, Eddie! This is Ben. It was so great meeting you tonight! _

Eddie let out a relieved sigh and smiled. He saved Ben into his contacts as “Ben-jammin’”, the nickname Richie had initially introduced him as. He clicked on the next message.

**[from unknown number] 11:52pm  
** _ Hello, Eddie. This is Stan. I feel like we’ll be seeing a lot of each other from here on out so I got your number from Richie. _

He snickered and glanced quickly up at Bill and Mike. They weren’t paying him any mind, too caught up in speaking softly to each other. Eddie saved Stan in his phone as “B+M’s Stan”. He opened the next text, feeling confident that he knew who it would be.

**[from unknown number] 12:04am  
** _ Eddie!!!!!!! it was so nice to finally meet you!!! you know, rich really didn’t do you much justice all those times he raved about u in the past _😉_ lets hang out soon and be best friends for real! _

This was follow up by second message.

**[from unknown number] 12:05am  
** _ This is Bev btw _🙂

He saved Bev into his phone as “Bevvy”. He hesitated before opening the last thread of messages, knowing they were from Richie. He chewed on his lip nervously with his thumb hovering over the unread texts before chickening out and clicking back to Ben’s message. He sent a quick reply, saying good morning and how he hoped he’d see him again soon, then did the same to Stan and Bev’s messages. He was back to hovering his thumb over Richie’s messages when a notification came across the top of his screen.

**[from unknown number] 11:34am  
** _ Eds _🙁_ how come u replied to my frien… _

He took a shaky breath and opened Richie’s messages, scrolling to the top.

**[from unknown number] 11:46pm  
** _ Eds! holy shit!!! _

**[from unknown number] 11:48pm  
** _ you little minx jfc _

**[from unknown number] 11:56pm  
** _ u looked so hot tonight i can’t believe u actually gave me your number _

**[from unknown number] 11:59pm  
** _ seriously spagheds. i can die a happy man _

**[from unknown number] 12:01am  
** _ my prayers have been answered _

**[from unknown number] 12:02am  
** _ my ass has been squeezed by an actual angel _

**[from unknown number] 12:02am  
** _ which btw… an honor. truly. u can squeeze my ass literally whenever u want _

**[from unknown number] 12:14am  
** _ this party is much less fun wo u. would it b weird 2 say i miss u??? _

**[from unknown number] 12:23am  
** _ i’m gonna assume ur either asleep or so deeply invested in hocus pocus u cant be bothered 2 look at ur phone _

**[from unknown number] 12:47am  
** _ goodnight cutie. ill text u in the am _🙂🙂🙂

**[from unknown number] 10:01am  
** _ good morning sunshine _🙂

**[from unknown number] 10:02am  
** _ todays gonna b a great day u no why? _

**[from unknown number] 10:07am  
** _ the sun is shining, i slept like a baby, and i had the most amazing nite w the tiny little man of my dreams last night _

**[from unknown number]10:13am  
** _ thats u btw _

**[from unknown number] 10:19am  
** _ holy shit i cant stop thinking about the way u looked on the dance floor last nite _

**[from unknown number] 10:29am  
** _ u were absolutely sinful eddie spaghetti _

**[from unknown number] 10:42am  
** _ ngl i was kinda upset u left w ur friends instead of coming back to campus w me _

**[from unknown number] 10:56am  
** _ r u still sleeping? _

**[from unknown number] 10:59am  
** _ eddie? _

**[from unknown number] 11:06am  
** _ eds? _

**[from unknown number] 11:22am  
** _ r u ignoring me? _

**[from unknown number] 11:34am  
** _ Eds _🙁_how come u replied to my friends but u wont reply to me?? _

Eddie felt his cheeks get progressively hotter as he read through the messages. He didn’t notice that Bill and Mike had stopped talking and were looking at him expectantly.

“W-Well? What’s the d-damage?”

Eddie pressed a closed fist to his forehead and took a breath to compose himself then scrolled back to the top and passed his phone to Bill so he and Mike could read through them. When they finished, both were trying and failing to hide the smirks on their faces.

“You should answer him before the man has an aneurism.” 

“I regret everything about last night already,” Eddie said but he couldn’t control the small smile that creeped onto his face as he took his phone back. He ignored the quiet snickers from his friends, saved Richie’s number as “Model Trashmouth”, then finally sent a reply.

**[to Model Trashmouth] 11:42am  
** _ Jesus, Richie. Can’t you text like a normal person? My head hurts enough this morning without having to decipher your terrible grammar. _

A response came immediately.

**[from Model Trashmouth] 11:43am  
** _ eddie!!!! i was starting 2 worry u were just gonna ignore me _

**[from Model Trashmouth] 11:44am  
** _ did u have to much to drink last night cutie? i no a place that has a killer breakfast that helps w hangovers. ill take u if u want _🙂

Eddie bit his bottom lip to quell his growing smile. He tried to glare instead. This was Richie. He was supposed to annoy Eddie to no end and nothing else. He definitely wasn’t supposed to make his stomach swoop pleasantly or make his heart beat extra fast.

**[to Model Trashmouth] 11:46am  
** _ I just ate breakfast. Thanks. _

‘Short and sweet’, Eddie thought. ‘Don’t encourage him.’

**[from Model Trashmouth] 11:47am  
** _ how about a coffee then? we can go 2 that coffee shop off campus i no u like _

Eddie felt his resolve wavering. That coffee shop held a special place in his heart and he wondered for a moment how Richie knew that. When he hadn’t responded in a couple minutes, Richie texted him again.

**[from Model Trashmouth] 11:50am  
** _ plz eddie? i had a lot of fun actually spending time w u last night and i’d like 2 get to no u better _

His resolve cracked.

**[to Model Trashmouth] 11:51am  
** _ ... Are you going to hit on me the whole time? _

**[from Model Trashmouth] 11:51am  
** _ not if u don’t want me 2 _🙂

**[to Model Trashmouth] 11:53am  
** _ … okay. I’ll meet you there in an hour. _

**[from Model Trashmouth] 11:54am  
** _ YESSSS!!!!! _😀😀😀😀😀😀

Eddie smiled then moved to start cleaning up his breakfast dishes. When he turned back from the sink he found Bill and Mike staring at him expectantly. “What?”

“What’s happening? Why do you look really happy and shy all of a sudden?”

Eddie blushed faintly but his smile remained on his face. He walked toward the bathroom to take a quick shower and just before he clicked the door shut, he turned to look his friends in the eyes. “I have a date.”

***

When Eddie approached the coffee shop exactly 54 minutes later, Richie was already there, leaning against a light post a dozen feet away, lit cigarette dangling between two long fingers. He hadn’t noticed Eddie yet, so the smaller man took a moment to just admire the way he looked in the midday sun. He had left his hair down, curls falling sporadically over his forehead and wrapping pleasantly around his ears. Today’s sweater was pale pink with pineapples all over it and his jeans were light blue. There were rips in both knees and the boots on his feet were brown. As Eddie got closer, he noticed that he was wearing a different pair of glasses than normal. They were roughly the same size and shape as his typical black ones, but these were a subtle, brown tortoiseshell.

The moment Richie made eye contact with him, he beamed so brightly that Eddie’s breath caught in his throat. He quickly snuffed out his cigarette, tossed it into a nearby smoking receptacle, and straightened up, watching Eddie approach with wide, focused eyes. Eddie tugged self consciously at the bottom hem of his shirt, a wide necked, white, long sleeve with a small rainbow flag embroidered on the breast pocket (which he had paired with black skinny jeans and yellow converse), and looked up at the taller man with a shy smile.

“Hi, Richie.”

Richie hadn’t stopped smiling and was looking at Eddie as if he might disappear if he looked away for too long. “Yowza, Eds. You look incredible.”

Eddie blushed and ducked to hide his smile. “You don’t look so bad yourself.”

Richie looked like he’d just won the lottery. “Oh this old thing? You flatter me, doll.”

Eddie rolled his eyes causing Richie to let out a bright laugh. He gestured toward the door of the coffee shop and fell in behind Eddie as they walked inside, hand coming to rest lightly on the small of Eddie’s back. Eddie blushed darker but allowed it.

Inside, the coffee shop was quiet. There were only a handful of people set up at tables around the shop and the line to order was empty. Eddie stepped up to the counter, ordered his usual (an Americano with three pumps of vanilla syrup), and pulled out his wallet to pay when Richie lightly hip checked him to the side.

“Uh uh! _ I _ asked _ you _ on this date so this one’s on me. You can pay next time, sunshine.” Richie winked and turned back to the counter, not seeing the way Eddie’s face flooded with color at the word “date”. Thinking about it as a date and telling Bill and Mike that that’s what this was, was one thing. Hearing the word come from Richie’s mouth, and hearing him say it so casually, made Eddie feel like there were fireworks going off inside of him. He didn’t hear what Richie ordered, too caught up in the implications of what this outing was, and let himself be gently guided to the pick up counter to wait for their drinks. When they came, Eddie made a face at Richie’s mug which seemed to be filled with nothing but whipped cream, making the taller man laugh. 

“What did you even order?” Eddie picked up his Americano and narrowed his eyes judgmentally as Richie picked up his own drink.

“Mocha latte, extra mocha, extra whipped cream.” Richie took a sip and when he pulled away, he had a thin white line of whipped cream across his upper lip. Eddie bit his cheek to keep himself from giggling.

They settled into a table by the window, sun shining directly onto them, and leaned slightly towards each other over their mugs. Surprisingly, conversation came easily and Eddie found himself actually enjoying talking to Richie. Just like the night before, Richie was incredibly charming and told jokes that had Eddie in stitches. Each time a burst of laughter escaped from Eddie’s mouth, Richie grinned to himself in victory, staring fondly at the way Eddie’s eyes crinkled at the corners. 

Eventually the conversation turned to school and Eddie found himself answering questions about his art classes.

“I heard you telling Ben that you’re an art student. Do you have a specialty or do you just excel in all areas?”

Eddie tutted and rolled his eyes with a smile. “I dabble in all areas. Kinda have to if I wanna be a high school art teacher. My favorite is photorealism though. Drawing and painting people and places and objects and making them look like actual photographs. It’s incredibly time consuming and can be very stressful, but it’s also a stress _ reliever _ for me. And the reaction I get when I show someone a finished painting and tell them it’s not a photograph will never get old.”

He looked up to see Richie smiling at him softly, chin resting lightly on an open palm. “I hope I get to see some of your art some day.”

Eddie suddenly remembered the envelopes of photos waiting for him on his desk in his dorm room. The photos he was currently trying to recreate for his drawing class. The photos of _ Richie _ he was currently trying to recreate for his drawing class. 

“You know, I actually signed up to be an art model this year. Bring in a little extra cash, you know? I haven’t had to do much so far except take a bunch of photos of different body parts, but maybe one day we’ll end up working together!”

Eddie huffed out an uncomfortable laugh. “Yeah… maybe.” He bit his lip, debating whether or not he should tell Richie about the photos he was assigned for his drawing class. The words were on the tip of his tongue but a small part of him wanted to keep the knowledge that Richie was already his model to himself. He felt a guilty twist of pleasure worm into his chest at the thought of getting to intently study photos of the taller man without him knowing.

When he lifted his mug and took the last sip of his coffee, he felt a small twinge of sadness at the thought of their date coming to an end. When he looked up, Richie was already looking at him shyly. 

“Would I be pushing my luck if I asked you to come back to my room for a movie?”

Eddie pursed his lips at him to hide the excitement and relief that flowed through him. Richie held up his hands in a placating gesture, misreading Eddie’s expression as a displeased one.

“No funny business, promise! You don’t even have to sit next to me if you don’t want to. Although you’ll have to sit _ kinda _ close since we don’t have a tv so we’ll have to watch on my laptop. But I can set it up on my desk and I’ll sit in a chair if you want to take the…”

Eddie cut him off by holding up a hand, mouth twisting into a smile despite his best efforts to get it not to. “I’d like that.”

Richie froze, shock written clearly across his face. A hopeful smile started to bloom on his lips. “Really?”

Eddie felt himself blush slightly, looking at the other man’s mouth. He looked back into Richie’s eyes and let out a quiet giggle at the face he was met with. Richie’s smile was so large that Eddie was sure his cheeks would start aching if he held it for too long, and his eyes were wide behind his glasses.

“Really. Because somehow, despite how infuriating our first few interactions were, and despite my best efforts not to, I’ve actually found myself enjoying your company these last couple days.”

Richie blossomed, smile becoming impossibly wider as he let out a laugh. He rose from his seat and held out a hand to help Eddie to his feet. “Well then. Shall we?”

Eddie accepted his help shyly then let go to bring both of their empty mugs back to the counter. Richie waited for him by the door then held it open for him to pass through with a shallow bow. Eddie giggled.

They didn’t hold hands on the walk back to campus, but Eddie was intently aware of how close together they were walking. Every nerve in his body seemed to be tuned in to where Richie’s sweater was gently brushing against his shirt, the subtle press of his lower bicep against Eddie’s shoulder making it difficult for Eddie to focus on the words coming from his mouth.

He didn’t realize he had been staring up at the side of Richie’s face until the taller man glanced at him from the corner of his eye and turned slightly pink.

“Cutie, if you keep looking at me with those big old doe eyes of yours, I might have an actual heart attack.”

Eddie turned crimson and looked away quickly. He watched their feet walking along the sidewalk in embarrassed silence for a few moments before Richie chuckled and bumped his elbow into Eddie’s shoulder. 

“So, what kinda movies do you like, Eddie?”

He accepted the change of subject gratefully and launched into a speech he had made many times to Bill and Mike about how underrated the different sub genres of animation were. Richie listened closely, enthusiastically chiming in with his two cents every couple of minutes. They were having a heated debate over which Studio Ghibli movie is best when Richie buzzed them into their dorm building.

“You are insane! In what _ world _ is Kiki’s Delivery Service the best Studio Ghibli movie? It’s cute, I’ll give you that but there’s _ no way _ it’s better than Howl’s Moving Castle. Or Spirited Away. Or Princess Mononoke. And artistically, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya absolutely blows it out of the water!”

“You just like Howl’s Moving Castle for the hot wizard,” Richie teased as they climbed the stairs and began the walk toward room 207. Eddie bristled and narrowed his eyes.

“Fuck you. Are you saying that if Howl were a real person you _ wouldn’t _ be into him?”

Richie grinned as he unlocked his door, holding it open to let Eddie into the empty room in front of him. “Oh, so you’re not denying it then? You’re admitting that you’re just in it for the sexy male lead?”

Eddie crossed his arms and turned up his nose. “Howl’s Moving Castle is an overall masterpiece. End of discussion.”

Richie laughed in delight. “_ God _, you’re adorable.” He moved to grab his laptop and fished a DVD out of the bottom drawer of his desk. 

Eddie scoffed in annoyance. “I am not adorable, don’t call me that.” He tried to look around Richie to see what movie he had grabbed, but Richie kept it hidden from sight until he had the disk loaded into his computer. He threw the box back into his desk without thought.

“Make yourself comfortable, sunshine.” He gestured to his bed, which was home to about a dozen mismatched pillows and a soft looking quilt blanket. Eddie raised an eyebrow in question at the collection.

“Why do you have so many pillows? That is a twin sized bed. Do you even fit with all of those on there?”

Richie laughed. “I’m a big man, doll! I like being supported all over.” He winked then turned in the direction of the bed himself. “Do you mind if I sit on there with you?”

Eddie shook his head shyly, little tendrils of nerves wiggling into his chest as he climbed onto Richie’s bed and began arranging his pillows so the two of them could prop themselves against the wall. Richie jumped in next to him, settling the laptop on the mattress between them. He didn’t sit close enough to touch, but Eddie found himself wishing that he had.

Richie leaned forward slightly to skip to the DVD’s main menu and Eddie let out a surprised hum when the title screen for Howl’s Moving Castle appeared. He smiled at Richie, entire body radiating happiness, and received a blush in return.

Eddie tried to focus on the movie. He really did. However his love for it was not enough to distract him from the taller man sitting barely six inches away. Richie was sitting with his legs stretched out long in front of him, feet dangling off the edge of the bed and crossed at the ankle. One hand was resting on his lap while the other, the hand closest to Eddie, sat innocently on the quilt between them. When Eddie chanced a glance at his face from the corner of his eye, Richie’s attention seemed to be focused on the movie, however he was worrying his bottom lip gently with his teeth. 

Seeing the outward sign of Richie’s nerves gave Eddie a sudden burst of bravery. He placed his hand on the quilt right beside Richie’s and used it to help adjust his position. He scooted his hips slightly further up toward the pillows, then dropped his shoulder slightly and curled his knees up to the side, curving his body a few inches closer to Richie’s. He left his hand where it was. He heard a quiet intake of breath and waited.

A few moments later, just as Sophie was feeding egg shells to Calcifer, Eddie felt a gentle nudge against his hand as Richie stretched out his pinky finger. Fighting (and failing) to hold back a smile, Eddie slowly turned his hand and hooked Richie’s pinky with his pointer finger. They stayed like that for a long moment, fingers locked together, eyes glued to the computer screen, twin blushes on their faces. When Richie made no motion to continue moving, Eddie looked up at him with a playful glare.

“You gonna hold my hand or what, fuckwad?”

Richie burst into loud laughter, the noise causing Eddie to dissolve into quiet giggles. He linked their fingers completely together, hand dwarfing Eddie’s inside it, and turned to him in amusement. 

“Well, when you sweet talk a man like that, how can I say no?”

They turned back to the movie and Eddie scooted himself closer to Richie. He timidly rested his head against Richie’s shoulder and brought his free hand up to curl into the sleeve of his sweater. “Is this okay?”

“Eds, you could literally suffocate me with one of those pillows and I would still be okay with it.”

Eddie rolled his eyes but let himself relax against the taller man with a pleased smile, fingers idly tracing the small pineapples on his sleeve. They stayed like that for the rest of the movie, Eddie rubbing his fingers over Richie’s sweater and Richie gently rubbing his thumb over the back of Eddie’s hand. Occasionally Richie would lower his head to the side to press his cheek into Eddie’s hair.

When the credits started to roll, Richie untangled himself from Eddie, earning him a small huff of annoyance from where the small man had started to doze against him. Richie chuckled and shushed him fondly, grabbing his laptop and moving to place it on his desk. When he returned to the bed, he gently lifted Eddie’s legs and slid underneath them, stretching out on the bed properly. Eddie watched him intently the entire time, heart beating quickly in his chest

“C’mere.” Richie reached out for him with a small smile, grabbing hold of Eddie’s sleeve and giving a small tug until he relented and let himself be pulled down partially on top of the other man. Eddie blushed as Richie hummed happily and wrapped an arm tightly around Eddie’s shoulders, pulling his face into his chest. Eddie nervously reached an arm up and let it lay innocently across Richie’s waist. It felt good; oddly_ right _ to be tucked into Richie’s side so tightly, but Eddie was too comfortable to analyze what that might mean. A moment of silence stretched between them until Eddie broke it with a soft giggle.

“Well this is awfully intimate from a man who claimed there’d be no funny business today.”

Richie squeezed him tighter. “Shhh. This isn’t funny business, this is bonding. It’s all part of my elaborate plan to woo you into liking me.”

Eddie snorted and propped his chin on Richie’s chest so he could look up at him. “I like you just fine, Richie. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.”

Richie raised his eyebrows and looked down at Eddie inquisitively. “Really? ‘Cause I gotta be honest. I kinda thought you hated me until you started drunkenly flirting with me last night. I was so sure you were just gonna block my number and pretend you never gave it to me.”

Eddie blushed but forced himself to maintain eye contact. He raised one of his own eyebrows challengingly. “I mean… to be fair, you didn’t seem to be showing any interest in me other than getting me to sleep with you.”

It was Richie’s turn to blush. He reached his free arm up to scratch absently at the back of his neck. “Yeah that is fair. I was coming across pretty strong, wasn’t I? I don’t always consider the consequences when I open my mouth. That’s why my friends nicknamed me Trashmouth.”

Eddie snorted again. “Pretty strong? Literally the first thing you ever said to me was that you wished Stan wasn’t in the room so you could invite me in for sex.”

Richie brought his free hand up to run slowly up and down Eddie’s side. “In my defense, you were wearing the shortest shorts I have ever seen and looked adorably sleep rumpled and grumpy. My willpower is only so strong.”

They stared at each other for a moment before simultaneously bursting into laughter. Eddie tucked his forehead into Richie’s neck and let himself relax, enjoying the feeling of Richie’s chest moving up and down beneath him. He ran his hand up Richie’s chest, smoothing down his sweater where it had bunched up slightly, then paused. He looked down at the material beneath him questioningly. 

“You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in anything other than a sweater. Even late at night the couple times I came up to confront you about moving your furniture.”

Richie breathed out another laugh. “My, my, my, Edward. Is that your way of telling me you wanna see me shirtless?”

Eddie glared at him and pinched Richie’s arm through his sleeve. “No, you jackass! Don’t be a dick.” He settled his face back into the crook of Richie’s neck. “Is there a reason behind it?”

Richie pressed a smile into the top of Eddie’s head. “Not a super interesting one. When I was a kid, like up to first grade, I didn’t have many warm clothes to wear in the winter. California doesn’t get nearly as cold as it does up here, but January and February can get pretty chilly. My parents - who are great by the way, I promise this isn’t a neglect story - had me pretty young and they had a lot of school debt so we didn’t have a whole lot of money. When I started second grade I met Bev who had just moved to LA, and when she saw that I didn’t have warm clothes, she started bringing her own sweaters and jackets for me to wear. Her parents were pretty pissed about it, especially her dad who’s a total scumbag, but Bev didn’t care. She’s a real sweetheart like that. Ever since then, every gift I’ve ever received from her has included a new sweater. Ben and Stan now too. As soon as they realized what she was doing they jumped right on board. My collection is so big now I almost don’t have enough space for them all.”

Eddie’s heart melted. “That’s the sweetest thing I have ever heard.”

Richie squeezed him tight again. “Can I ask a question now?”

Eddie nodded.

Richie’s hand, which had still been rubbing up and down Eddie’s side, came up to hook gently into the collar of Eddie’s shirt. He gave it a tiny tug, pulling the wide neck slightly lower, exposing the entirety of the calligraphy on Eddie’s chest. “Will you tell me about your tattoos?”

Eddie looked up at him with the most innocent face he could muster, trying hard not to laugh. “Just the ones on my chest or all of them?”

Richie’s eyes widened and his jaw went slack. Eddie watched as he did a quick scan of his body, trying to figure out where Eddie’s other tattoos could be. “Wha-... I have seen you in short shorts and t-shirts. Where on earth are you hiding other tattoos?”

Eddie laughed and moved to sit up, Richie propping himself on his elbows to watch him. Reaching down, Eddie slowly pulled off his left sock, then brought his foot up closer for Richie to look at. On the inside of his heel was a small black bicycle, and next to it, an open book. 

“They’re for Bill and Mike. Bill used to have this rusty old bike called Silver. The thing was a death trap but the two of us used to ride it everywhere back home. I chose a book for Mike because he used to read to us a lot. He’s constantly doing research or reading new novels. It’s actually kind of funny that Bill is the one studying creative writing instead of him.” He tugged his sock back on then sat up on his knees, turning to face Richie. 

Eddie pulled the right side of his shirt slightly up so he could pull down the top of his pants to reveal his hipbone. Right above it, in black writing, was the word “LOSER”. Over the “S”, the letter “V” had been written in red, turning the word into “LOVER”. Richie swallowed, mouth feeling suddenly dry.

“I got bullied a lot growing up. When I was about 13 I broke my arm. There was this really old, run down building in our hometown and for some reason Bill really wanted to go in and explore. He dragged me with him and we were on the second story when the floor gave out and I fell. It hurt like a bitch and I had to wear an ugly, white cast for months. One of the popular girls at school asked me if she could sign it and I was so naive and pleasantly surprised that she was even acknowledging me that I just let her. It wasn’t until she walked away, giggling with her stuck up friends that I noticed she had just written “LOSER” on it. When I got home I took a red sharpie and drew the “V” over the “S”. Then when my arm healed, it just kinda stuck, you know?” He pulled his pants back into place and let his shirt drop, reaching for his collar next. He pulled it first to the left, then to the right, showing Richie the two black stars on his collarbones.

“These don’t really have a story. Just kind of an aesthetic space filler.” He quickly moved to the large calligraphy “No Dice” in the center. “This I got as kind of a “fuck you” to my mom. She did everything in her power to make me think I was sick growing up. We’re talking hospital visits for the sniffles, refusing to let me go outside unless it was sunny and over 70 degrees, not letting me do any physical activity because it would trigger my fake asthma, feeding me dozens of sugar pills everyday and making me believe they were real… honestly the list goes on and on. I believed her too. For the longest time I thought I was a papercut away from death.” He paused, looking down at his lap and taking a deep breath. Richie sat up fully and placed a reassuring hand on his knee. Eddie grabbed it and gave it a squeeze. “Senior year of high school she tried to convince me that I was too sick to go to college. That I needed to stay home in Derry where she could take care of me. By that point I had realized that all the meds were fake and nothing was actually wrong with me. We screamed at each other for months about it, then when I turned 18, I left and never looked back. I haven’t talked to her since. I chose the phrase “No Dice” because it means “no chance of success” - as in there was no chance I was gonna let her continue fucking up my life.”

Eddie dropped the hand that was still holding the collar of his shirt and sat back, pulling his legs up to cross in front of him. He scooted up until his legs were flush with Richie’s and grabbed his hands in both of his. Richie was looking at him with wide, startled eyes.

“That is the most fucked up thing I have ever heard my life. I’m so glad you got out of there, Eddie. You’re so brave.” 

Eddie let out a puff of air and started absently playing with Richie’s fingers. “I don’t feel brave. Mentally, she fucked me up really bad, Rich. I’m doing better, now that I’ve been gone for three years, but I still carry a bottle of hand sanitizer almost everywhere I go. I still shower twice a day and change my sheets every other. I carry around an inhaler in my bag even though I don’t have asthma and there’s nothing in it but water. It’s like, no matter how hard I try, I just can’t completely get rid of her. She’s ingrained herself into who I am as a person and molded me to her liking. I’m trying so hard Richie, but there are still days when she just completely takes over my brain and I feel like I can’t do anything about it.”

He took a shuddering breath and squeezed his eyes shut against the sudden prickling feeling that appeared behind them. He felt Richie gently retract one of his hands from Eddie’s and then the soft nudge of fingers under his chin.

“Hey. Look at me?” He allowed Richie to tilt his head up with his fingers and when he looked up, the taller man was looking at him with a such a soft expression, Eddie almost wanted to start crying again. “Eddie, you put up with that bullshit for 18 years. It’s gonna take a lot more than three to heal. And that’s okay. You don’t have to punish or feel bad about yourself just because she’s still making an impact on you. She’s your _ mom _ for fucks sake! We’re born with the expectation that our mom’s are going to love us unconditionally and take care of us and keep us safe. You’re not weak for believing that that’s what she was doing. You _ are _ brave. You lived with it, then you stood up for yourself and got out as soon as you could. There are a lot of people out there, Eddie, who wouldn’t be able to do that. And I’m sure you already know this, but you don’t have to go through your bad days or your bad moments alone. I bet Bill and Mike have been there for you through everything, and if you’ll let me, I’ll be there for you too from here on out.”

Eddie stared at Richie in wonder, feeling a couple tears escape from his eyes. He tried to hold back a choked sob but couldn’t, then launched himself forward, making Richie fall back with a startled yelp, and buried his face back into Richie’s neck. The tall man wrapped both arms tightly around him and soothed him while he cried, humming quietly into the hair on top of his head.

When Eddie’s sobs died down, he pulled back slightly with a blush and a slight grimace. “Sorry. That was… really embarrassing. I bet you never thought you’d have to deal with tears on a first date.”

Richie chuckled, reaching up to run a hand pleasantly through Eddie’s hair. “Nothing to be embarrassed about. I don’t mind. I’m happy that you trusted me enough to tell me all of that.”

Eddie smiled and wiped quickly and the drying tear tracks on his cheeks. He felt lighter somehow. As if opening up to Richie had unlocked a rusty, old door inside of him and all the stale air had been sucked out. Richie was still stroking his hair when he made eye contact again. “Do you wanna know about my flowers? They’re the last one.”

“Only if you want to tell me.”

Eddie nodded but made no move to show off his last tattoo. “They’re a tribute. A memorial for my dad. He died when I was five - cancer.” He took a steadying breath and leaned into the feel of Richie’s body pressed against his. “I don’t remember too much about him but I do remember life being so much brighter and happier while he was still around. We used to have this giant flower garden and my dad and I would go out every single day, rain or shine, to take care of it during the warm months. I used to think we had every flower under the sun: sunflowers, lilies, roses, lilacs, peonies, irises, carnations, tulips… you name it and I would have sworn we had it somewhere. He used to tell me stories and fairytales about each of them and I would just sit and listen to him for hours, totally content to just hear him talking.” He glanced up at Richie slyly. “Maybe if you keep playing your cards right I’ll let you see the full thing someday.”

Richie chuckled in delight. “Oh, trust me, Eds. I don’t plan on messing this up.”

Eddie gave him a big smile then cuddled back down into his chest. They stayed like that for a long time, chatting aimlessly about anything they could think of. When the room started to grow dark around them, Richie looked at Eddie with a hopeful grin.

“Do you want to go get dinner? No proper first date is ever complete until food is involved! I know a pretty good pizza place not to far from here we could walk to.”

Eddie agreed easily and slid gracefully from the bed, slipping back into his shoes. The walk to the restaurant was relaxed and full of laughter. Richie held Eddie’s hand loosely and swung it between them as he told joke after joke just to see Eddie’s face light up happily. 

They split a large pepperoni and green pepper pizza, tucked cozily into a small booth in the corner. Richie had valiantly tried to get Eddie to agree to a Hawaiian pizza but Eddie had told him (only mostly joking) that if there was pineapple anywhere near his pizza, he would walk out and go home. Richie gestured to his sweater and joked that there would be pineapples near his pizza regardless, making Eddie roll his eyes and walk off to claim their booth, chest almost bursting with happiness at their easy banter. 

After dinner the two men held hands again as they meandered slowly back to campus. As they approached their dorm building, Richie looked down at Eddie with a fond smile. “Can I take you out on another date again soon?”

Eddie looked up at him shyly, face flushed a pleasant pink. “Yeah. I’d actually really love that.” Richie’s responding smile made Eddie’s stomach swoop in delight.

They came to a stop outside Eddie’s dorm room and turned to face each other. Neither said anything as Richie reached a hand up to tuck a stray piece of hair back behind Eddie’s ear. His hand stayed on his neck as his eyes swept across Eddie’s face, coming to land on his mouth where Eddie was gently biting his bottom lip in nervous anticipation. He groaned quietly.

“Fuck, Eddie. I _ really _ want to kiss you.”

Eddie felt his heart rate triple and bit back a smile. “Then kiss me.”

Richie’s eyes widened and snapped back up to Eddie’s own, flicking back and forth between them as if checking for a lie. Eddie just giggled and hooked his pointer fingers into Richie’s belt loops, pulling him closer, and raising up onto his tiptoes. Richie cursed quietly then brought his other hand up to join the first one on Eddie’s neck, ducking his head and closing the distance between them.

The second their lips connected, every nerve in Eddie’s body ignited, sparked by the soft press of Richie’s mouth against his own. He felt more than heard, a muffled gasp against his lips and knew that Richie was having a similar experience. Tightening his hold on Richie’s belt loops, Eddie sighed through his nose and pushed himself closer. 

They kissed for a long moment, mouths moving gently against each other. Neither made any move to deepen it beyond the barely there hint of Richie’s tongue against Eddie’s bottom lip. When they parted, Eddie’s smile was so bright that Richie’s breath actually caught in his throat. 

“Wow, wow, wow.” He scanned Eddie’s face again for any sign of regret, and upon not finding any, laughed loudly and connected their lips again. Eddie smiled into the kiss, feeling Richie do the same. 

When they separated the second time, Eddie lowered himself back down to stand flat, then stepped forward to pull Richie into a tight hug. 

“Thank you. For everything today. It was perfect.” His words were quiet and muffled by Richie’s sweater but the taller man heard him regardless, holding him tighter and pressing a kiss to the top of his head. 

“You don’t have to thank me, Eds. If anything _ I _ should be thanking _ you _ for giving me a chance.”

Eddie gave him a final squeeze then stepped back. He leaned up to give Richie one final kiss, body still going crazy from the contact, then turned to unlock his door. “Goodnight, Richie.”

Richie was grinning at him with a dopey fondness plastered on his face. “Goodnight, Eddie. I’ll text you.”

Eddie gave him a quick once over, as if to remember exactly how Richie looked in that moment. “Good.”

They smiled at each other again, then Eddie stepped into his room, closing the door softly behind him.

***

Not even 20 minutes later, while Eddie was curled up with his sketchbook in bed looking at the photos he had of Richie’s mouth, reliving the kisses they had shared, Eddie got a text.

**[from Model Trashmouth] 7:57pm  
** _ wow. i cant stop thinking about u and how amazing today was. i think i could probably kiss u forever _

Eddie resisted the urge to squeal like a lovesick teenager and curled up tighter as his chest grew warm. 

**[to Model Trashmouth] 7:59pm  
** _ If you kissed me forever, how would we get anything done? I know the feeling though. _

**[from Model Trashmouth] 8:00pm  
** _ we wouldnt need to get anything else done sweets bc nothing else would matter _

**[from Model Trashmouth] 8:02pm  
** _ u no… i no we just said gn less than half an hour ago but stans not here… u could always come back up _😉

Eddie laughed until a thought popped into his head. He looked around his empty room, noting that there was no sign that Bill had been back at all that day, then back down at Richie’s last text.

**[to Model Trashmouth] 8:05pm  
** _ Stan isn’t there? Huh… Bill hasn’t been back to our room today either… _

**[from Model Trashmouth] 8:07pm  
** _ oh shit!!!!! do u think theyre all together?? stan bill and mike? _

Eddie bit his lip thoughtfully.

**[to Model Trashmouth] 8:10pm  
** _ I mean… Bill and Mike did tell me before I left Mike’s this morning that the two of them had gotten together. And that they were going to go on a date with Stan soon. Maybe soon ended up being today? _

**[from Model Trashmouth] 8:11pm  
** _ im calling him rn. this is 2 good. i will report back soon!! _🙂

Eddie moved to place his sketchbook and photos on his desk then pulled up his group chat with Bill and Mike.

**[to Big Bill and Mikey] 8:19pm  
** _ Guys, I take back every negative thing I’ve ever said about Richie. _

A reply came from Bill immediately.

**[from Big Bill] 8:20pm  
** _ Date went that well? That’s awesome Eddie! _

**[to Big Bill and Mikey] 8:22pm  
** _ It was amazing! I wanna brag about it. Where are you guys? I noticed you haven’t been back to the dorm yet, Bill. You still at Mike’s? _

**[from Big Bill] 8:23pm  
** _ Yeah I’m still here. I probably won’t be back tonight _

**[to Big Bill and Mikey] 8:24pm  
** _ Sleeping over twice in a row, right off the bat? Whatever would mommy and daddy Denbrough think of that? _

**[to Big Bill and Mikey] 8:25pm  
** _ Also, this is interesting… Richie just texted me that Stan hasn’t come back to their room yet. And he definitely wasn’t there earlier today cause we watched a movie. You guys wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you? _

**[from Mikey] 8:27pm  
** _ Don’t you worry your pretty little head off, Eddie. I’ve got them both safe and sound _

Attached to Mike’s text was probably the most adorable photo Eddie had ever seen. The three of them were laying close together on Mike’s bed. Mike was flat on his back with Stan on his side facing him, head on Mike’s chest, phone held to his ear, exasperated smile on his face. Eddie assumed it was Richie that he was talking to. Bill was curled up tightly behind and slightly above Stan, arm around his waist, using Mike’s shoulder as a pillow. He was smiling brightly at the camera as Mike took a selfie.

**[to Big Bill and Mikey] 8:30pm  
** _ Holy shit, that is the sweetest fucking thing I’ve ever seen in my life. We’re talking about this tomorrow! Have fun, I love you guys! _

**[from Big Bill] 8:31pm  
** _ Love you too, Eddie! _❤️

**[from Mikey] 8:31pm  
** _ Love you! Whatever are you gonna do now that you know that both you AND loverboy have rooms to yourselves tonight? _😉

**[to Big Bill and Mikey] 8:32pm  
** _ Michael you are the worst. Goodnight. _

**[from Mikey] 8:32pm  
** _ Use protection! _

**[to Big Bill and Mikey] 8:33pm  
** 🖕🏻

Eddie saved the photo Mike had sent to his phone and closed out of the group chat. He quickly sent it to Richie with the caption, _ “Look what Mike just sent me. Looks like our boys have a busy night ahead of them” _ . Five minutes later he received the reply, _ “cute cute cute!” _.

Eddie smiled.

***

The next day, Richie and Eddie agreed to meet up for a quick breakfast in the dining hall before Richie had to go to band practice. Eddie watched fondly over his omelet as Richie wolfed down a waffle absolutely smothered in whipped cream, loudly counting down the ways that breakfast is hands down the best meal of the day.

After breakfast they walked hand in hand to the music building where they parted with a long kiss and the promise to text when they could. Eddie watched with a small smile and a wave as Richie disappeared inside, then turned to head back to his dorm for a day of drawing. 

About an hour and a half later, Eddie received a text from Bev.

**[from Bevvy] 10:43am  
** _ I dont know what you did to our trashmouth, but i like it. This is the happiest ive seem him in months _

Immediately after, she sent a short video. In it, Stan was in the background, fond smirk on his face while he played through a guitar melody. In the foreground, Richie was singing along loudly and attempting to drag a laughing Ben through the steps of a waltz. The dance clearly didn’t match the beat of the song but no one seemed to care. 

Eddie laughed and watched it several times, chest growing warm as he watched Richie goof off with his friends. He took a moment to reflect on the fact that just 48 hours ago, he wanted absolutely nothing to do with the tall man, and now he couldn’t even think about him without smiling.

**[to Bevvy] 10:56am  
** _ Really? I guess I’ll have to date him more often then. _

**[from Bevvy] 10:57am  
** _ !!!!!!!!! _

**[from Bevvy] 10:57am  
** _ He didnt tell us u guys went on a date!! _

**[to Bevvy] 10:59am  
** _ What about Stan? Did he tell you that he went on a date with my friends? _

**[from Bevvy] 11:00am  
** _ WHAT?? Those little shits… i hope u dont have plans later bc ur coming back to ours. I need details _

Eddie laughed again, sending a quick confirmation and focusing back on his drawing. He managed to get through six complete renderings of Richie’s mouth (including the one featuring his nose ring) when he got another text from Bev.

**[from Bevvy] 1:04pm  
** _ Quick!!! Richies in the bathroom lets go b4 he realizes were kidnapping u!! _

Eddie gently threw his drawings to the side and slipped on his shoes. When he left his dorm building, he immediately spotted Bev and Ben waiting for him next to a small sedan. They gestured him forward quickly and Bev all but shoved him into the passenger seat while Ben climbed in behind the wheel. As soon as Bev was situated in the back, Ben took off, just as Richie appeared in the rear view mirror. Eddie watched in amusement as Richie raised an arm to wave them off in confusion, clearly not noticing Eddie sitting in the front seat. A moment later, his phone buzzed.

**[from Model Trashmouth] 1:11pm  
** _ hey cutie! im all done w practice wanna go grab lunch? _🙂

“You guys are costing me a lunch date, I hope you’re happy with yourselves,” Eddie teased, tipping his phone so Bev could read the text he’d just gotten. She giggled in delight. 

“Send him a photo of us!” She paused, looking closer at Eddie’s phone. “Also, why is he saved in your phone as “Model Trashmouth”?”

Eddie blushed. “Hold that thought.” He motioned for Bev to scoot behind Ben then turned so he could take a selfie with the couple in the background. Bev squeezed her eyes shut, stuck out her tongue and held up a peace sign while Ben smiled, keeping his eyes on the road. 

**[to Model Trashmouth] 1:18pm  
** _ Sorry! I’ve been kidnapped. Expect a ransom note soon. _

He attached the photo and immediately saw Richie typing a response.

**[from Model Trashmouth] 1:19pm  
** _ those fiends!!!! how dare they kidnap the great eddie spaghetti!! dont worry babe ill get you back safe and sound _

A giggle behind him alerted Eddie to the fact that Bev was reading his texts over his shoulder. He turned crimson and pulled his phone into his chest even though the damage had been done.

“Babe, huh? You guys are cute.” She poked his warm cheek with a gentle finger and laughed as he attempted to swat her away. “Let’s get takeout and go back to our place so you can tell us all about your date with “Model Trashmouth”.”

They stopped and picked up way too much Pad Thai for three people, before driving over to Ben and Bev’s apartment. They had barely squeezed onto the couch with their food, Eddie pushed into the middle, before Bev rounded on him.

“Okay. Lets start with why you have Richie saved in your phone as “Model Trashmouth”.”

Eddie let out a nervous giggle. “Well, the “Trashmouth” part I got from you. I laughed so hard the other night when you called him that. Really suits him.” He paused to take a sip of the iced tea Ben had handed him as they were sitting down. “As for the “Model” part… remember how I was telling you the other night that I’m an art student? And that I’m taking a drawing class?” He glanced at Ben who nodded with a smile. “So… Richie doesn’t actually know this yet but he was assigned as my model for our current unit. We’re working on body parts. Each week we get an envelope of photos to base our assignments off of and recreate. We’re not actually supposed to know who our model is… something about remaining unbiased as we draw them. There’s supposed to be a big reveal at the end of the month cause we have to do a couple live sessions. I wanna keep it a surprise until then, so please don’t tell him!”

Ben gave him a confused glance. “How do you know it’s Richie if you’re not supposed to know who your model is?”

“I mean…” Eddie picked at his Pad Thai thoughtfully. “I guess there’s a chance that it’s not actually him but I’d be really surprised. I kept having weird feelings of recognition last week when we did our first assignment but I couldn’t figure out why. We started the unit with hands and at first I didn’t think too much of them. They looked big with long fingers and there were callouses on every fingertip on the left hand. The recognition started last weekend after Richie played his keyboard for me, but I didn’t really put it together until I got this weeks envelope. We’re doing mouths right now and one of my photos has his nose in it. I recognized the nose ring.”

Bev let out a coo. “How long until the live sessions?”

“We’ve got two more assignments first, so about two and a half weeks.”

“So you’re just gonna… what? Date him and draw him behind his back?”

Eddie giggled. “That’s the plan!”

The trio laughed then ate in comfortable silence for a few moments. Eddie was once again astonished at just how _ easy _ it was to feel content with Bev and Ben despite only knowing them for a few days. When they finished lunch, and Bev asked Eddie for details about his date with Richie, Eddie felt no hesitation or embarrassment. He just smiled and started from the beginning. 

By the time he had reached the end of his story, Eddie found himself sprawled across his two new friends. His feet were propped up in Ben’s lap and he was leaning back into Bev’s chest while she gently stroked his hair. His chest felt pleasantly warm, and he was happy.

“... and then he walked me back to my room and he kissed me.”

Bev squealed and Ben smiled brightly. Eddie blushed and looked down with a shy smile. “He even asked permission first. To make sure I was okay with it. He was a perfect gentleman.”

“That is so sweet. I don’t think anyone has _ ever _ referred to our Richie as “a perfect gentleman” before.”

“Oh, don’t worry. He was back to being an obnoxious flirt over text less than 20 minutes later. That’s actually kind of how we figured out something was going on with Stan, Mike, and Bill. He made a comment about how I should have gone back up to his room with him since Stan wasn’t there, and it made me realize that Bill hadn’t been back to our room either. He and Mike just told me yesterday morning that they had officially gotten together and were planning to take Stan on a date as well. When I texted them about it they sent me this photo.”

He pulled out his phone, briefly noting the several missed texts from Richie, and showed Bev and Ben the photo Mike had sent him. Ben exhaled a quite, “awww” while Bev gasped loudly and demanded that Eddie send the photo to her “right this second, Edward”. He complied then opened Richie’s texts.

**[from Model Trashmouth] 1:56pm  
** _ i hope my friends arent scaring u away sunshine. i no bev can b a lot _

**[from Model Trashmouth] 2:12pm  
** _ can i take u on another date sometime this week? i should prob get some writing done 2nite but maybe 2morrow? _

**[from Model Trashmouth] 2:49pm  
** _ im gonna assume ur lack of response is bc ur having fun and NOT bc my friends actually kidnapped and murdered u _

Eddie rolled his eyes fondly as he typed out his reply.

**[to Model Trashmouth] 3:06pm  
** _ Sorry, Richie. Bev and Ben are wonderful and we’ve all decided to run away together because they are the true loves of my life. _

Bev snorted and Eddie looked up at her with a grin.

**[from Model Trashmouth] 3:06pm  
** _ GASP _

**[from Model Trashmouth] 3:07pm  
** _ how could u!!! oh my poor broken heart! i expect u to give a eulogy at my funeral. tell everyone how u ripped my heart from my chest and shattered it into a million tiny pieces _

**[to Model Trashmouth] 3:10pm  
** _ So dramatic. It’s like you’re obsessed with me or something _🙂

**[from Model Trashmouth] 3:11pm  
** _ ur worth obsessing over _🙂

Eddie blushed and cuddled deeper into Bev.

“I’m gonna get cavities from how sweet you guys are being. And he called _ Ben and I _ the most disgustingly in love couple ever.”

Ben laughed from where he was gently massaging Eddie’s legs as the small man squawked at Bev’s implication. 

“We’re not in_ love _. We’ve only been on one date! We haven’t even talked about what we are to each other yet…” He trailed off and started picking at his fingernails; a nervous habit he picked up when he was younger and didn’t yet know how to stand up to his mom.

Bev and Ben glanced at each other over Eddie’s head, then Ben gave his leg a soft squeeze. “Well, what do _ you _ want to be to each other?”

Eddie bit his lip. “I mean… I really like him. Like, a surprising amount. Especially considering how I could barely stand him just a few days ago. How the fuck did my feelings change so quickly?”

Ben smiled at him. “Richie’s always been a bit of an acquired taste. You don’t know quite what to make of him the first few times you meet him, but all it takes is one charming interaction and it’s game over. He’s got you. That’s how it was with me and Stan too, and he wasn’t even romantically interested in either of us.”

Eddie hummed contemplatively and glanced back down at his phone, taking a moment to reread their flirty conversations. “Do you think he actually wants to date me? Like, be boyfriends and everything?”

Bev let out an amused scoff and wrapped him in a hug. “Honey, he would have_ happily _announced you as his boyfriend the second he laid eyes on you if he thought you’d allow it. That man has been pining after you for weeks.”

Eddie thought about what she said for a few moments before starting to type with a smile.

**[to Model Trashmouth] 3:26pm  
** _ I don’t want you to take take me on a date tomorrow. _

**[from Model Trashmouth] 3:27pm  
** _ oh… uh ok then. im sorry i thought we were on the same page… ill back off dont worry about it _

**[to Model Trashmouth] 3:29pm  
** _ I don’t want you to take me on a date because you promised that next time I could treat you. That means it’s MY turn to take YOU on a date. _🙂

**[from Model Trashmouth] 3:29pm  
** _ !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! _

**[from Model Trashmouth] 3:30pm  
** _ u little shit!!!!! u scared me! i thought i did something wrong!!!! _

Eddie giggled.

**[to Model Trashmouth] 3:32pm  
** _ So what do you say? I’ll pick you up at your room tomorrow at 6? _

**[from Model Trashmouth] 3:33pm  
** _ its a date _🙂❤️

***

When Eddie stopped outside Richie’s door at 5:57pm the next night, he felt strangely calm. Richie had been texting him all day, trying to get Eddie to tell him where they were going and now that the time was here, Eddie was excited. 

He took a moment to adjust the plaid scarf around his neck, tucking the ends neatly into his soft fleece coat, before knocking on the door.

Richie pulled the door open immediately, as if he had been standing behind it waiting. A giant smile was threatening to take over his face. A burgundy beanie sat on top of his curls, matching the heavy, slim fitting sweater he had on. Eddie had to bite back a laugh when he noticed the sweater had actual thumb holes in the sleeves.

“Hi!” Richie took a small step forward, bringing himself slightly closer to the smaller man.

“Hi.” Eddie took a step forward of his own, bringing them toe to toe. They smiled at each other for a moment, drinking each other in, before Richie raised a gentle hand to Eddie’s cheek.

“Cute, cute, cute,” Richie breathed. Eddie blushed happily and raised onto his tip toes, pulling Richie down to connect their lips in a soft kiss. Richie sighed into the contact and tugged Eddie even closer.

A pointed cough broke them apart a long moment later.

“If you guys are just gonna stand there and make out, at least let me leave so I don’t have to sit here and watch you.” 

Eddie blushed darker and peered around Richie to where Stan was sitting at his desk, eyebrow raised judgmentally. Richie threw an arm around his shoulders and gave Stan a bright grin.

“Don’t be jealous, Stan the Man, from what I hear you’ve got two cuties of your own you could be off macking with.”

It was Stan’s turn to blush. He stuck up his nose and turned away from the pair in the doorway with a huff. “Yes, well. Some of us have work we need to get done.”

Eddie giggled and gave Stan a knowing smirk. When he had returned from Bev and Ben’s the day before, Bill had been back in their room, typing away on his laptop, smile firmly in place. Eddie had immediately grilled him for all of the details on his time with Mike and Stan, and listened intently as Bill gushed about how softly Mike kissed him and how soft Stan’s hair felt between his fingers. Eddie made a lewd comment, one that would have made Richie proud, and cackled as Bill turned bright red, stutter overpowering his ability to claim innocence.

With a bright goodbye to Stan, Eddie laced his fingers together with Richie and started tugging him down the hallway. When they left the building, Eddie pulled the taller man down a path that lead away from town. Richie furrowed his brows slightly and looked down at him in confusion, but Eddie just smiled at him shyly. The sun was close to setting by the time Eddie pulled them off the path and started walking up a large hill.

At the top, a soft blanket was spread over the ground, held in place by a large picnic basket. Over the hill, away from the lights of the town, the sun was approaching the horizon, casting the sky in pretty shades of pinks and red. Richie drew in a quick breath and looked at Eddie in wonder. Eddie bit his lip and blushed, looking down and away nervously.

“I know it’s not much, but I’ve always loved watching the sunset. And I thought we could stay and look at the stars for a while after.”

Richie’s heart melted as he gazed at Eddie fondly. He hooked his fingers under Eddie’s chin and raised his head gently. “It’s perfect.” When he leaned down and connected their lips, Eddie smiled into the kiss. Richie smiled back, heart feeling incredibly full.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You’ve been oddly obsessed with my hair lately, babydoll.”

“Hair”

When Eddie walked into his drawing class on Wednesday morning, this was the word that greeted him from the whiteboard. He smiled, a rush of excitement coursing through him, knowing he was about to receive an envelope with photos of Richie’s unruly curls. He pulled out his sketchbook and smiled as Sam made his way over.

“Hey, Eddie! What did you think of your poses this week? I made sure your model did some pretty good ones.”

Eddie laughed. “They were great! I especially liked the one where I could see his nose.”

Sam smiled triumphantly. “I knew you would!” He motioned to Eddie’s sketchbook. “May I?”

Eddie nodded his consent and watched as Sam slowly flicked through the pages.

“These are incredible, Eddie. Just like I knew they’d be. Great job!”

Eddie accepted the praise with a soft smile but hesitated to take his sketchbook back. “I um… I actually wanted to mention something… I’m pretty sure I know who my model is.”

Sam looked at him in surprise. “Really? Just from photos of his hands and mouth?”

Eddie rubbed the back of his neck in slight embarrassment. “Yeah. I think it’s actually someone I’ve been spending a lot of time with lately. The similarities are uncanny. Talk about a crazy coincidence, huh? … my knowing isn’t going to affect the assignment, is it?”

Sam looked at him for a long moment, consideringly. “The whole point of not knowing your model was to remain unbiased in your renderings. If you’re right, and your model is who you think it is, clearly you haven’t let it affect your outcome. And if you have, it’s definitely been in a positive way. So no, I’m not gonna switch your model if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Eddie let out a breath of air he didn’t realize he was holding. “Thank you.” He looked down and took his sketchbook with gentle hands. “I don’t think I’m gonna to tell him yet. I wanna wait for the live sessions and surprise him.”

There was a brief moment of silence as Sam continued looking at Eddie, the hint of a smirk starting to creep into his face. “You do remember that the second live session is a nude one, right? That’s not going to be a problem?”

Eddie’s cheeks burned. He had very specifically _ not _ been thinking about having to draw a naked Richie. Not once. Especially not when he was laying in bed after a date or a hot make out session.

“That won’t be a problem at all.”

“Good.” Sam winked at him then moved on to the next person. Eddie took in a deep breath, cheeks still pleasantly pink as he willed himself to stop thinking about where this unit was headed. He and Richie hadn’t done anything more than kissing yet. They’d spent hours curled up together these last few days, memorizing the feel of the others lips against their own, but neither had made any move to take it any further. Eddie had tried to bring it up toward the end of their date the other night, stumbling through his words and unable to get out a full sentence, but Richie had just dragged him into a slow, deep kiss and told him there was no rush, and to stop overthinking. The reminder that, in just a few short weeks, Richie would be laid out bare and vulnerable for Eddie while he drew him, filled him with a hot surge of  _ want _ that caught him by surprise. 

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, Eddie turned and accepted his new envelope from Sam with a smile. He gently pulled out the photos and his smile softened as he was met with the curly, black hair he had become so fond of. In each photo, Richie was using a sheet of paper to hide his face from view so his hair could be photographed from all angles. He was wearing it down in some, half up in others, and there were a few where it was pushed back from his forehead with a soft looking headband that caught Eddie’s interest. He let himself trace his eyes over the soft looking curls, mentally preparing himself for how challenging this assignment would be. Hair was, after all, one of the most difficult features to draw. Curly hair, done accurately, was even harder. 

Sam dismissed the class a few moments later, with the same offer to be available if there were any questions throughout the week, and Eddie left with his usual wave. He slowly made his way back to his dorm, planning to spend a good portion of his afternoon at his desk, working on his new assignment. The only other class he usually had on this day had been canceled earlier that morning by his professor who was too sick to get out of bed, leaving Eddie with a wide open schedule.

Bill was sitting at his desk when Eddie walked into their room, deeply immersed in the story he was working on. He gave him a quick, distracted wave when he noticed him, but immediately zoned right back into his work. Eddie just smiled, put on his headphones, and sat down to get to work.

When Eddie next looked up, about halfway through his first attempt at drawing Richie’s curls (based off one of the photos featuring the headband because the presence of it made Eddie feel oddly breathless in a way he didn’t want to acknowledge), the clock was shining the time 1:38pm back at him and Bill was leaning curiously over his shoulder.

“D-dude… is that Richie?”

Eddie blushed and sat up straight, feeling a few satisfying pops work their way out of his spine as he stretched out. He glanced up at Bill, then followed his line of sight to where he had laid out a few of the new photos when he was initially trying to decide which hairstyle to tackle first. 

“Uh… yeah. Did I not tell you?” He scratched at the back of his head nervously. “He was kind of assigned as my art model for the unit we’re doing in my drawing class. He doesn’t know though. And technically I’m not supposed to know either. Sam, my professor, wanted the models to be anonymous until our live sessions at the end of the month to prevent any bias showing through in our work, but it wasn’t hard for me to figure out.”

Bill looked at him appraisingly for a moment, then started laughing. “W-what are the f-f-fucking odds that you end up with your b-b-boyfriend as your m-model?”

Eddie’s blush deepened. “He’s not… I don’t… We haven’t…”

Bill looked at him in surprise. “Are you t-trying to t-tell me that Richie  _ isn’t  _ your b-b-boyfriend?”

Eddie bit his lip and looked down, toying with his fingers. “I mean… we haven’t really talked about it yet. I don’t want to just assume that he wants to label whatever we are the way I do.”

The look Bill gave him made Eddie feel incredibly dumb. “You’re an idiot.”

Eddie let out a sound of indignance and went to defend himself, but Bill just rolled his eyes with a smile and ruffled his hair. “M-Mike and I are getting lunch. Wanna j-join?”

“And be the third wheel that’s not the  _ actual _ third wheel on your tricycle? Absolutely.”

Bill didn’t even flinch when Eddie stood up and immediately jumped on his back, just laughed and smiled contentedly as he walked out the door, Eddie telling him enthusiastically about his day.

***

“You’ve been oddly obsessed with my hair lately, babydoll.” 

It was late Friday night, and Richie and Eddie were curled up tightly together on Richie’s bed. The Kissing Bridge had performed at The Clubhouse again, as they did every Friday, and Richie was still reeling from the adrenaline of being on stage. Eddie had opted to stay on campus and get some work done rather than going to watch, but had made the promise to Richie that he would be all his when he got back. Stan was once again staying at Mike’s with him and Bill, so the two had Richie’s room to themselves.

Eddie was laying on his back in the middle of Richie’s bed, with the taller man koala’d around him, head on Eddie’s chest right over his heart. They were both dressed for bed, Eddie in a yellow pair of short shorts and a loose t-shirt, and Richie in sweatpants and a thin grey sweater. Richie’s glasses had been removed and placed on his nightstand and the room was cast in a soft, orange glow from his bedside lamp. 

Eddie paused, his hand stilling where it was currently twisting one of Richie’s curls around his finger. “I like it. It’s soft.”

Richie let out a content hum, burrowing slightly closer. “I don’t mind. Feels good. Just something I’d noticed.”

Eddie’s fingers started moving again, fingernails scratching lightly at Richie’s scalp. He hesitated before speaking, stomach fluttering nervously as he thought over what Bev and Bill had both told him about the label of their relationship. He took a deep breath and mentally steeled himself for Richie’s reaction before saying, “I like making my boyfriend feel good.”

Richie inhaled sharply and tilted his head to look up at Eddie with wide eyes. Eddie bit his lip as he was scrutinized quietly, becoming more and more anxious until Richie suddenly beamed at him, his whole face lighting up with the intensity of his smile. 

Richie quickly twisted his body to grab his glasses, shoving them gracelessly onto his face, then pulled himself up to hover over Eddie, faces mere inches apart. “Boyfriend, huh?” He shifted a hand up to curve gently around Eddie’s cheek, thumb stroking softly over his cheekbone as the smaller man looked up at him shyly through his eyelashes. “I really, really,  _ really _ like the sound of that.”

Eddie’s face melted into a bright smile of his own. He reached up so both of his hands were twisted in Richie’s hair, tugged on it lightly, and used his grip to pull the tall man down into a kiss, nerves sparking pleasantly as Richie let out a low moan and instantly tilted his head to deepen it. 

The slight pain of Richie’s glasses digging into his face caused Eddie to pull away briefly, shushing Richie quietly when he let out a whimper of protest, so he could gently slide them off and place them back on the nightstand. When Eddie turned his head to the side to make sure Richie’s glasses were safely out of the way, Richie latched onto his neck, nipping lightly at the skin and then kissing the pain away. Eddie let out a high pitched keening noise, one hand moving to grab the hair at the back of Richie’s head, and the other curling up and under his arm to grasp desperately at his shoulder. 

“ _ Fuck _ .” Richie bit down hard right where Eddie’s neck met his shoulder. “Make that noise again.”

Eddie whined and used his grip on Richie’s hair to haul him back up for another kiss. Richie used the thumb of the hand already on Eddie’s face to lightly press down on the corner of his mouth, coaxing it open gently and running his tongue over the seam of his lips until Eddie parted them enough to let him in. 

Eddie felt like he was on fire. Every brush of Richie’s tongue against his own, sent a shock of arousal straight to his groin. He wanted Richie closer.  _ Needed _ Richie closer, and pulled at him insistently until the taller man gently slotted a leg between his own and pressed down right onto Eddie’s erection, his own hardness pressing into Eddie’s thigh. The smaller man separated their mouths with a gasp and reached down, grabbing Richie’s ass with both hands, and pulling down as he simultaneously arched his own hips up. 

Richie moaned loudly and ducked to bury his face in Eddie’s neck again, rolling his hips down harder, but it still wasn’t enough. He grabbed Eddie’s bare thigh, pulling his leg to wrap firmly around his waist, and slid so he could settle fully between Eddie’s legs. He pushed the leg that wasn’t around his waist out to the side and rolled his hips again, punching loud groans from the both of them as their clothed erections rubbed against each other. 

“ _ Richie _ !” Eddie grasped hard at Richie’s ass with one hand, using it as leverage to thrust his hips in time with the other man, and clawed desperately at the back of Richie’s sweater with the other.

“Shhh. I’ve got you, baby. I’ve got you. You’re so good.” Richie started to thrust his hips faster, feeling the heat in his groin start to build. 

“Please! R-Richie, please. I need…” Eddie couldn’t think straight. The friction from Richie’s cock against his own made it impossible to speak. He hooked both of his hands into the waistband of Richie’s sweatpants and tried pushing them down, desperate to feel the other man’s skin against his own, but was unable to do so with Richie grinding so snugly against him. “Richie,  _ please _ !”

Richie growled, understanding what Eddie was asking for, and paused to lean back and shove both his sweatpants and boxers down his thighs. Eddie keened at the sight of the taller man’s cock springing free, wide eyes dark with lust and cheeks crimson red. Richie pushed Eddie’s legs together then grabbed the waistband of his shorts, pulling both those and Eddie’s briefs completely off in one swift motion. He tossed them carelessly across the room, eyes locked on where the head of Eddie’s cock was leaking against his t-shirt. 

Eddie spread his legs wide and pulled Richie back into him, locking his legs together behind Richie’s back and almost crying in relief when their bare erections  _ finally _ rubbed together. Richie let out a soft curse then reached down to take both of their cocks in one large hand. Eddie pressed his head back into the pillows behind him with a whimper, completely overwhelmed by the pleasure building inside him.

“ _ Fuck, Eddie _ .” The sound of Richie’s voice, sounding so wrecked and breathless, was Eddie’s undoing.

“Richie! I’m gonna…”

“It’s okay, I’ve got you. Let go, baby. Let go. Come for me.”

Eddie did. His eyes squeezed shut and his body went rigid in Richie’s grasp for a brief moment before convulsing as he released onto his own chest with a loud moan. He went limp, sucking in a large lungful of air as aftershocks ran through him and peeled his eyes open just in time to see Richie reach his peak, stroking himself quickly and coming with a quiet, “ _ ahh!”  _ onto Eddie’s t-shirt.

Richie collapsed onto his side, careful to not land on the mess they had made on top of Eddie, and panted for several long minutes. When he caught his breath, he looked into Eddie’s face with wonder. “Oh, wow, wow, wow.”

Eddie gave him a tired smile and leaned close to press a chaste kiss to his lips, before grimacing and plucking cautiously at his shirt. Richie chuckled and tucked himself back into his sweatpants, then rose to grab Eddie’s shorts. He slid them back up his boyfriend’s legs gently, trailing kisses up his shins and thighs as he went, earning an adorable giggle and a soft swat to the back of the head. Once Eddie was tucked away, he slipped his hands up under his t-shirt and helped the smaller man pull it off without spreading their mess. With the dirty t-shirt off and tossed away into Richie’s dirty laundry basket, Richie allowed himself a moment to sit back and admire the man before him. 

Eddie was  _ beautiful _ . His hair was disheveled, several soft strands falling loosely on to his forehead and into warm, brown eyes. His skin, normally lightly tanned, was flushed a pale pink from his freckled cheeks, all the way down his chest, where it disappeared under brightly colored ink. Richie let out a soft noise of awe as his eyes roamed slowly over the flower tattoo he was finally getting to see. In the middle of Eddie’s chest was a large sunflower, stem running down to the bottom of his ribcage. Branching up and out from either side of the petals were two curved lines of other flowers, making a curved “v’ shape up toward the stars on his collarbones. Richie was able to make out several lilies, roses, and bundles of lavender, as well as several different flowers he didn’t recognize. The sight of Eddie, shirtless and warmly compliant, in his bed left Richie feeling breathless.

“You’re beautiful.” Eddie flushed darker at the praise, but his expression turned shyly pleased. He reached out and pulled Richie back down beside him, giving him another long kiss, and pulling the quilt up over them. He reached over to flick off the bedside lamp, then twined their legs together and rested his forehead against Richie’s in the dark. 

“That was incredible. Thank you.”

Richie chuckled, grabbing Eddie’s hands. “You don’t have to thank me, sunshine. That was just as much for me as it was for you. And I plan on doing it a lot more in the future if you’ll let me.”

Eddie gave him a smile he couldn’t see and tilted his head to place a soft kiss on the end of his nose. “I’d love that.”

The room fell into a comfortable silence after that, both men feeling tired and pleasantly satiated. In the darkness, they unconsciously curled closer together, then dropped quickly into sleep, warm smiles on both of their faces.

***

When Eddie woke up the next morning, he was pleasantly warm, and a large hand was running softly up and down his back. He took a moment to let the night before come back to him before smiling softly and letting out a content hum. When he opened his eyes, they instantly locked onto Richie’s which were only inches away and half lidded, watching him with a warm smile.

“Good morning, cutie.”

Richie’s voice was low and still raspy with sleep, causing a spark of warmth to shoot through Eddie’s chest.

“Mornin’, Rich.”

Richie leaned close and pressed his lips to Eddie’s shoulder, making a slow trail up to his neck. He paused when he reached the junction between the two, where a pale hickey contrasted his tanned neck, and sucked on it gently, coaxing more color into it and soothing it with his tongue. Eddie let out a quiet moan but made no move to stop him, writhing slightly under Richie’s ministrations. When Richie was satisfied with his mark, he continued his trail, kissing all the way up Eddie’s neck to his jaw, and was about to place a kiss on his mouth when Eddie blocked him with a giggle.

“We haven’t brushed our teeth.”

Richie looked at him incredulously for a moment then burst into laughter, burying his face back in Eddie’s neck and tugging him close.

“Only you, Spagheds, would refuse a good morning kiss from your boyfriend just because of a little morning breath.”

Eddie’s chest immediately filled with warmth at the word “boyfriend”. He rolled onto his side and wrapped his arms tightly around Richie’s neck, placing a sloppy kiss on his forehead that was more teeth than lips due to the enormous smile on his face. They hugged each other close for several long minutes before Eddie pulled back and untangled himself from Richie’s arms.

“Come on, boyfriend. Lets go brush our teeth so I can get a real good morning kiss.”

Richie was on his feet and by the door before Eddie had even had the chance to hop out of bed. Without thinking, he went straight to Richie’s closet and pulled out one of his sweaters, the tie dyed pastel one Richie had worn the first time they’d talked, and pulled it on. It was gigantic on him, sleeves covering his hands completely, and hem line falling down to his mid thigh. When he glanced up at Richie as he joined him at the door, the taller man’s eyes were large and dark behind the glasses Eddie hadn’t seen him grab. 

“Wow, Eds. You look so good in my clothes.” Eddie blushed as Richie dragged his eyes up and down his body. “Cute, cute, cute!” Richie quickly searched the room behind Eddie then moved to grab his phone, opening the camera and holding it up in Eddie’s direction. “Do you mind?”

Eddie blushed but shook his head, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand and smiling up at the camera shyly. Richie snapped a photo and stared down at it for a long moment. “Wow, wow, wow. If this is how it’s gonna be from now on, I might just die from how fucking adorable you are.”

Eddie rolled his eyes and turned to open the door and exit the room. He needed to run down to his room to grab his toothbrush and take a quick shower, but he gave Richie a kiss on the cheek and promised to be back as soon as he was ready for the day. Richie’s eyes followed him all the way to the stairs.

When Eddie got out of the shower 15 minutes later, his phone had blown up with missed texts from all of his friends. Furrowing his brow in confusion, he unlocked his phone and saw that Richie had created a group chat for all four members of The Kissing Bridge, himself, Bill, and Mike.

**THE LOSERS CLUB**

**[from Model Trashmouth] 9:13am  
** _ my boyfriend is cuter than all of u combined _

He had attached the photo he’d just taken of Eddie. The sun was shining through the window right where Eddie was standing, casting him in a warm glow. His cheeks were a pleasant pink and he was absolutely  _ swimming _ in Richie’s sweater. Eddie’s breath caught briefly in his throat at the expression on his face in the photo. He was looking up at Richie with such a soft look of adoration that he was momentarily stunned before moving to read the responses.

**[from Big Bill] 9:16am  
** 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍

**[from Bevvy] 9:17am  
** _ omg wtf so CUTE!!!!!!!!! _

**[from Ben-jammin’] 9:17am  
** _ Boyfriend? Congrats, guys!!!  _ 🙂

**[from Mikey] 9:20am  
** _ Wow. I feel like I should be offended on everyone’s behalf but I can’t even argue with you. You’re right. _

**[from B+M’s Stan] 9:22am  
** _ Good job on finally getting your shit together, Tozier. Just please don’t forget to give me a warning when he’s coming over. I don’t need to be scarred for life. _

**[from B+M’s Stan] 9:23am  
** _ Also yes. Eddie is adorable. What he sees in you will forever be a mystery. _

Eddie blushed at the compliments and sent a reply of his own.

**[to THE LOSERS CLUB] 9:29am  
** _ Richie. When I told you it was okay for you to take that photo, I didn’t realize you were gonna share it with all of our friends… _

**[from Model Trashmouth] 9:30am  
** _ come on babe look at u! i couldnt keep sumthing that adorable 2 myself! _

**[from Big Bill] 9:31am  
** _ he’s right Eddie. That would have been selfish and i would have hated him forever.  _

**[from Mikey] 9:31am  
** _ The world deserves to see soft Eddie! _

**[from Bevvy] 9:32am  
** _ i feel so honored to have seen this. my day has been blessed _

**[from Model Trashmouth] 9:34am  
** _ see? now get that hot lil body back up here i promise i brushed my teeth  _ 😉

**[from B+M’s Stan] 9:35am  
** _ What the fuck, Richard. Why would you make all of us read that? _

**[to THE LOSERS CLUB] 9:35am  
** _ I’m so sorry, guys. I’ll go beat some sense into him. _

**[from Model Trashmouth] 9:36am  
** _ ohhh tell me more cutie  _ 😉

**[from B+M’s Stan] 9:37am  
** _ GOODBYE _

Eddie laughed and pocketed his phone, then left his room and went to get his morning kiss.

***

Drawing Richie in secret becomes harder now that they’ve officially become an “item”. Eddie is embarrassed to admit this, but he has become  _ obsessed _ with spending all of his free time in the taller man’s presence. In the rare time that they _ do _ spend apart, Eddie draws effortlessly, the lines of Richie’s curls flowing from his pencil with ease now that Eddie has become intimately familiar with the feel of them between his fingers. 

Eddie does take one photo on his phone of his hand nestled in Richie’s hair. They’re lounging on a bench between classes and Richie was laying with his head in Eddie’s lap as he laughed at something Bev was saying from the ground in front of them. The sun was shining on Richie’s curls just right, giving them a soft, glossy sheen, and highlighting the very subtle dark brown strands hidden amongst the black, and Eddie was hit with a burning need to capture the way it looked with his pencils. He took the photo without really thinking about what he was doing and when Richie glanced up at him in question, he told him his hair looked really good in the sunlight and he wanted to use it for some extra drawing practice. Richie had just shrugged and accepted the explanation with a smile, but the knowing smirk on Bev’s face made Eddie’s cheeks burn.

By the time Wednesday rolled around, Eddie only had three complete drawings to show to Sam. Somehow, between all the time he was spending with Richie, he had managed to complete one drawing of Richie in his headband, one with his half bun, and a rendition of the photo Eddie had taken on his phone. Much to Eddie’s surprise, Richie had not once asked to see any of his drawings, despite knowing that Eddie had taken one of him exactly for that purpose. When Eddie questioned him about it, Richie had just pulled him into a kiss and said he knew Eddie would show him when he was ready. It was oddly touching.

Eddie watched Sam’s face closely when he handed his sketchbook to him for review, nervous butterflies fluttering away in his stomach. Sam took one glance at Eddie’s drawings and failed to fight back a smirk.

“This pose was definitely not in your envelope.”

Eddie blushed and looked off to the side, not making eye contact with the professor. “I know… that one’s based off a photo I took. Do you wanna see it?”

Sam nodded his head, still fighting a grin, and accepted Eddie’s phone once he’d pulled up the picture. He held the photo and the drawing side by side, studying them intently for a moment before allowing his grin to bloom into a pleased smile.

“You never cease to amaze me, Eddie. This is incredible.”

Eddie brightened and flashed Sam a large grin. “Sorry I didn’t get more done. I didn’t have as much free time this week and wanted to make sure the ones I did do were done well.”

Sam raised an eyebrow, knowing from their conversation the week before that Eddie’s lack of free time had to do with him spending time with Richie, not actually being busy, but he didn’t comment on it. Instead he just passed the sketchbook and phone back to Eddie with a nod. 

“That’s alright. I knew this would be the assignment that took the longest anyway so I wasn’t expecting as many drawings from anyone. This last assignment should be a breeze comparatively.”

Eddie watched in interest as Sam walked up to the front of the room. Grabbing a whiteboard marker, he wrote the word “eyes” and turned to face the class.

“Alright, guys. Here we are. The last photo based assignment. Before I pass out your last envelopes, I just wanna take a second to tell you all how impressed I am with how well you’ve done so far.” He paused for a moment to smile around the room. “Next week will be our first live session. I’ve spoken with all of your models and they have all agreed to come meet with you next Wednesday morning at normal class time.”

Eddie’s eyes widened slightly as Sam glanced at him quickly. He sent a reassuring smile.

“I still haven’t told them who their artist is so plan on next week being a “get to know you” session. You’ll have the rest of the week after that to get together at a time, or times, that work best for the two of you to complete the assignment. I’d like one full body rendering, any pose you’d like, and then you’re free to experiment with partial bodies and poses as you wish. Any questions about next week before I pass out your new envelopes and let you go?”

When no one spoke up, Sam gathered up the envelopes beside him and started passing them around. He handed Eddie’s over last.

“I know you’ll probably be seeing Richie’s eyes plenty in person, but try to stick to the photos this week? You’ll have plenty of time to draw them from the source later.”

Eddie turned crimson but nodded as Sam passed over his envelope with a wink. He grabbed his stuff and practically ran from the room, his professor’s laughter echoing out the door behind him.

***

Sam was right. Less than 12 hours later, Eddie found himself standing between Richie’s legs by the edge of his bed, forehead pressed firmly against the other man’s as they stared wide eyed at each other, panting heavily. Both of their pants were undone, pushed unceremoniously below their hips, and their hands were stroking each other furiously. Richie’s blue eyes were almost grey with arousal and Eddie found himself unable to look away, staring in wonder at how dilated his pupils were. 

A quick flick of Richie’s wrist broke him out of his trance with a whimper. His eyes rolled back slightly in his head, then zeroed down to where his own hand was moving desperately on Richie’s dick. He whined again at the sight, mouth watering in desire as he watched Richie’s cock head thrusting repetitively into his fist. Richie was long and thick, slightly too thick for Eddie to completely wrap his hand around, and Eddie wanted to get his mouth on him immediately.

“ _ Richie _ … Rich, please. I want... I  _ need _ ....” 

Eddie felt hot. His nerves were sparking on overdrive and the only thing running through his mind was ‘ _ taste Richie, taste Richie, taste Richie _ ’.

“What do you need baby?” Richie’s voice was low and breathless and it sent an intense spark straight to Eddie’s cock. “Anything you want. Just tell me and it’s yours.”

Eddie moaned loudly and promptly dropped to his knees.

“Oh,  _ shit _ !” Richie reached up and carded his hands gently into Eddie’s hair and when the smaller man looked up at him through his eyelashes, he cursed again. “Those eyes of yours are gonna be the death of me, babydoll.” Eddie leaned forward and started sucking a gentle hickey into one of Richie’s balls. “ _ Fuck! _ I take it back. Your fucking mouth, babe, holy  _ shit _ .”

Eddie let out a soft giggle, then paused, made eye contact with the man above him, and licked a slow stripe up the length of Richie’s cock with a flat tongue. Richie’s mouth dropped open and his cheeks flushed as a groan fell through his lips. His fingers tightened ever so slightly in Eddie’s hair.

Emboldened by Richie’s reaction, Eddie leaned in and gave the tip a quick little kitten lick, right over the slit, lapping up the bead of precum that was resting there. Richie’s hips bucked slightly into the touch. 

“ _ Eddie.” _

He caught Richie’s eye again as he stuck his tongue out flat, using the hand still gripping the taller man’s length to gently tap the head of his cock against it. Richie cursed again.

“ _ God,  _ baby. You’re such a fucking tease. You look so good. So hot on your knees for me.  _ Fuck _ I can’t wait to feel your pretty little mouth around me. Bet you feel so good. So hot and wet and all mine.”

Eddie keened at Richie’s words, his own hips surging forward in a desperate attempt to find some friction, then took the head of Richie’s cock completely into his mouth and gave a hard suck.

The noise Richie made was almost inhuman. It tore from his lips as if he had been punched in the gut and the sound of it made Eddie reach down and squeeze the base of his own dick to keep from coming on the spot. Richie’s hands had tightened significantly in Eddie’s hair, making the smaller man moan as he swirled his tongue around the base of Richie’s head. He stayed where he was, suckling gently and swirling his tongue, until Richie’s grip on his hair loosened and words once again started spilling from his mouth.

“Fuck, Eddie. Look at you. Practically _ gagging _ for it. Your mouth looks so pretty stretched around my cock, baby. So pretty. You wanna take some more? You want my cock so deep in your throat you feel it back there for hours? I know you do, baby, so why don’t you show me. Show me how deep you want my cock.”

Eddie whimpered and sank down quickly until his lips made contact with the hand he still had loosely holding Richie in place. He held his head still for a moment, swallowing around the intrusion, then started a slow, bobbing motion, shifting his hand so he could take more in with each inward slide.

Eddie’s senses were overloaded with nothing but  _ Richie, Richie, Richie _ . His cock was hot and heavy on his tongue, precum making his mouth taste slightly salty and bitter. Every inhale through his nose brought with it a musty smell of sweat, mixed not unpleasantly with the slightly fruity scent of Richie’s body wash. He kept his eyes mostly closed, already overwhelmed by just the feel of Richie’s cock in his mouth, but somehow knew that if he were to open them and look up, Richie would be staring down at him with so much intensity that he would be done for. The taller man’s pubes were slightly scratchy under his hand, and his throat felt raw from where the head of Richie’s cock was continuously hitting it, but nothing was driving Eddie closer to the edge than the sounds Richie was making. 

Richie was giving a continuous low moan, occasionally interspersed by high pitched whines or breathy “ _ Eddie, Eddie, Eddie”’s.  _ Spurred on by the noises, Eddie began to speed up his bobbing, feeling heat begin to build in his own groin at his boyfriend’s obvious pleasure. Richie groaned.

“ _ Fuck yeah, _ baby, just like that. Suck my cock faster. I’m getting close. You’re so amazing.”

Eddie doubled his efforts and began sucking in ernest. When Richie gave a warning tug and a hoarse, “ _ Eddie _ ”, he pulled off, opened his mouth and stroked Richie furiously until the taller man released onto his waiting tongue. Breathing heavily, Eddie paused with his mouth still open, then looked up to make eye contact with a panting Richie and swallowed, darting his tongue out to lick up a spare drop of come that had landed right above his lip. Richie let out an actual growl, and before Eddie could comprehend what was happening, tugged the smaller man up onto the bed and swallowed him down in one quick motion.

Eddie screamed. Already on edge from sucking Richie off, the tight, wet, heat that suddenly enveloped him was almost too much, and it only took five quick bobs of Richie’s head before Eddie was spilling down his throat.

Eddie collapsed back against the bed and took in large lungfuls of air, trying desperately to get his breath back. He felt Richie place a gentle kiss on his hip bone, right over his LOSER/LOVER tattoo, and adjust his pants before sliding up the bed so they were face to face. His face was split with a blinding smile.

“You are a goddamn dream, Eddie Kaspbrak.” He leaned in for a kiss, but was blocked by a hand between their mouths. 

“Not until we’ve brushed our teeth, Trashmouth.”

Richie laughed.

***

Eddie was slightly disappointed to find that none of the photos in his new envelope included Richie’s glasses. There were photos of his eyes open, closed, winking, half lidded, looking up, looking  _ down _ , extra wide, and yet not a single photo included either pair of frames he had become familiar with. 

Regardless, Richie’s eyes were gorgeous. Framed by thick, dark lashes, the different shades of blue were captivating and Eddie found himself thinking he could stare at them all day. 

The week passed quickly, with Eddie and Richie spending as much time together as possible. On Friday, he tagged along to The Kissing Bridge‘s show, dancing by himself while they performed, then alternating between grinding with Richie and shimmying to the music between Bev and Ben. At one point, he even pulled a dance out of Stan, making Bev take a video of them pressed together to send to Bill and Mike.

On Saturday, the seven of them all got together at Bev and Ben’s apartment for an 80s movie marathon. Eddie demanded that they make a giant cuddle puddle, and pushed all of the furniture out of the way so there would be enough room on the floor in front of the TV. Bev and Ben grabbed all of their spare blankets, including the comforter off their bed while the rest grabbed all of the couch cushions and pillows they could find. Once the first movie had been chosen and started, the group collapsed together onto their pile of comfort, limbs intertwining with whoever happened to be closest. Eddie ended up laying with his head on Richie’s chest, spooned up behind Bev who was using Richie’s thigh as a pillow. His legs were stretched out over Stan’s and Mike was gently massaging his calf. Bill was curled up behind Stan, toes tucked gently under Richie’s back, and Ben was laying with his head on Bev’s stomach, arm outstretched to curl around Mike‘s legs. It was the first time all seven of them had actually spent significant time together and Eddie was pleasantly surprised by how seamlessly they all fit together. 

He spent Sunday with his sketchbook, curled up at a corner table in his favorite coffee shop, working on his drawing assignment. All seven of them had slept at Bev and Ben’s the night before and made breakfast together that morning before having to go their separate ways so The Kissing Bridge could have band practice. Bill and Mike had asked Eddie if he wanted to join them back at Mike’s, but Eddie declined so he could get some work done. He was on his second Americano, and starting in on his fifth drawing when someone plopped into the chair across from him.

Startled, Eddie jumped and pulled his sketchbook into his chest, narrowly avoiding knocking over his mug. Richie’s smiling face greeted him over a mug of whipped cream. Eddie stared at him with wide eyes then furrowed his brows in confusion, reaching for his phone to check the time.

“Rich, what are you doing here? I thought you had prac-”

Richie watched in amusement as Eddie cut himself off. The time on Eddie’s phone read 2:26pm and he had several missed texts. A blush bloomed on Eddie’s face as he let out a small, “oh”.

“Hi, sweetheart.”

Eddie looked up at him with a sheepish smile. “Hi, Richie.” He pulled his sketchbook closer to his chest, feeling relieved that he had decided against laying his reference photos across the table. Richie took a large gulp from his mug, pulling away with a whipped cream mustache, and grinned fondly as Eddie giggled. Eddie reached across the table and slowly wiped across Richie’s lip with his thumb, collecting the stray cream and accepting a gentle kiss to the pad of his finger. Looking his boyfriend in the eye, Eddie brought his thumb to his own mouth and licked it clean. Richie’s eyes darkened.

“You know, cutie… I was gonna ask if you would mind me joining you for awhile while you worked, but now I’m thinking of asking if you wanna take a break and come back to my room.”

Eddie pretended to think about it for a moment, just long enough for Richie to start pouting, then closed his sketchbook and started tucking everything away. “I could be persuaded.”

Richie beamed and hopped to his feet. He quickly returned their dirty mugs to the counter then grabbed Eddie’s bag and flung it over his shoulder. He grabbed the smaller man’s hand and tugged him out the door, Eddie’s laughter ringing in his ears like music.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Keep Richie close. You guys are going to do great things together.”

Eddie’s skin was buzzing. He felt like he was about to vibrate right out of his chair from nerves. Wednesday morning had arrived and he was sitting in his drawing class, anxiously waiting for the models to arrive. Sam had already done his rounds and looked over their eye assignments, praising everyone for how wonderfully they’ve done, and was now perched on the edge of his desk, laughing easily with one of Eddie’s classmates.

A soft knock at the door announced the arrival of the first model. As they slowly started to trickle in, Sam introduced them to their artists, guiding them to sit together and start a conversation. Soon, Eddie was the only person left sitting alone, but he only had a moment to feel exasperated by Richie’s tardiness before the taller man waltzed through the door. Eddie sucked in a breath and watched, biting gently on his lower lip, as Richie quickly scanned the room before locking eyes with his own. They widened slightly behind his glasses and his mouth dropped open as Sam approached him with a light laugh.

“Richie! Glad you could make it. I’ve heard that you and Eddie are already well acquainted?”

Eddie bit back a smile when Richie’s eyes widened further. He glanced back and forth between the two for several long moments then gave the room another quick scan. Upon finding Eddie to be the only artist still without a model, a disbelieving smile overtook his face as he realized what was happening.

“You little shit!”

Sam and Eddie both burst into laughter as Richie scrambled over to plop himself down next to his boyfriend. The smaller man accepted a kiss to the forehead and snickered at Richie’s dumbfounded expression. “Hi, babe.”

Richie stared at him for a moment longer before shaking his head and raising an eyebrow. “So, I’ve been your model this whole time?” Eddie nodded. “How long have you known?”

Eddie blushed and ran a nervous hand over his sketchbook. “Almost three weeks.”

Richie’s silence made Eddie glance up nervously. Richie had an amused smile on his face. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I wanted it to be a surprise.”

Richie laughed. “Well, I was definitely surprised! How on Earth did I get so lucky to get such a cute little noodle as both my boyfriend_ and _ the artist who has to draw me in the nude next week?”

Eddie turned red then sent Richie a glare. “Cute little noodle? What the fuck, don’t call me that, asshole!”

Richie just laughed and turned his eyes to Eddie’s closed sketchbook. “Can I see what you’ve drawn of me so far?”

Eddie nodded shyly and flipped his sketchbook open to the first page he’d done of Richie’s hands. Richie took the book reverently and gently started flipping through the pages, pausing occasionally to run a finger over one of the drawings. 

“Eds… These are incredible… what the fuck, these look just like me!”

Eddie giggled. “Well yeah, that was the whole point, dumbass.”

Richie looked at him in wonder before turning back to the sketchbook. He stopped at the drawing of Eddie’s hand in his hair and smiled down at it softly. “Wow. I like… don’t even know what to say.”

“That’s a first,” Eddie teased. He placed a hand on Richie’s back and started rubbing at it gently. “I’m glad you like them, though. I was a little nervous.”

Richie’s head shot around to give him an incredulous look. “Nervous? For what?”

Eddie shrugged. “I don’t know. That you wouldn’t like them. Or that you’d think it was creepy that I was drawing parts of you in secret for four weeks even though we’ve basically been together for half of that time?”

“Eddie, I am honored that I’m that one that was assigned to you for this project. I’m not kidding when I say these drawings are amazing. And I think it’s kinda cute that you wanted to keep it a surprise. Although, how you managed to do all this without me noticing is a real brain busting mystery because we have been spending literally all of our free time together and I barely see you with this sketchbook.” He leaned back into Eddie’s touch and reached his own hand up to curl around the back of Eddie’s neck. He pondered something for a moment before laughing quietly. “I gotta be honest with you, cutie. I was kinda dreading the nude session next week. Now that I know it’s for you though… I wouldn’t be opposed to getting a head start.” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively making Eddie roll his eyes and bite back his own smile. 

“It’s gonna be hard enough to focus on drawing you next week as it is, let me get through the clothed version first, please.”

Eddie caught a glint of mischief in Richie’s eyes moments before he leaned in and whispered into his ear. “You been thinking about it, baby? Thinking about me stretched out and on display for you? Completely at your mercy to pose and show off whatever you desire?”

Eddie shivered, feeling suddenly hot under the collar and pulled away with a half hearted glare. Richie was looking at him smugly, eyes dark and half lidded.

“I hate you.” He ignored Richie’s burst of laughter and took his sketchbook back to begin picking up his stuff. “I have one more class today but then I’m free for the rest of the day. You wanna hang out when I’m done so we can start the first drawing?”

Richie stood and slung an arm over Eddie’s shoulders. “Sunshine, I would want to hang out with you after class even without this drawing assignment.”

Eddie grinned and led them to the door, warmth swirling pleasantly in his chest.

***

When Eddie got out of his last class of the day, he had a text waiting for him from Bill.

**[from Big Bill] 2:13pm  
** _ Eddie! Come over to Mikes after class were getting pizza and playing board games _

**[to Big Bill] 2:32pm  
** _ Richie and I are already planning to get together so I can get started on one of my live drawings for my drawing class. Raincheck? _

**[from Big Bill] 2:33pm  
** _ No! Bring him and your sketchbook with u! Well invite everyone and u can draw in between games! Please eddie?? _

Eddie smiled at his friends antics, heart already set on going.

**[to Big Bill] 2:35pm  
** _ Alright. I’ll let Richie know. We’ll be there in 30? _

**[from Big Bill] 2:36pm  
** _ YES!!! Ur the best! Love u see u soon! _

Eddie chuckled and didn’t respond, pulling up his chat with Richie instead.

**[to Model Trashmouth] 2:37pm  
** _ Hey! I’m all done with class for the day. There’s been a change of plans. Bill invited us over to Mike’s for pizza and board games. I already told him we were in. I’ll just bring my sketchbook with me. _

**[from Model Trashmouth] 2:39pm  
** _ i fucking love board games im down. meet u outside in a min? _

**[to Model Trashmouth] 2:40pm  
** _ Yes, please! _🙂

Eddie took a seat on a bench outside their dorm building to wait for Richie to come down. He was just placing his bag by his feet when he got a text to The Losers Club group chat.

**[from Big Bill] 2:44pm  
** _ Everyone come to Mikes asap! Pizza and board games!!! _🙂

**[to THE LOSERS CLUB] 2:45pm  
** _ Richie and I are on our way! _

**[from Ben-jammin’] 2:47pm  
** _ I’ve got one more class at 3 but it’s only an hour. I’ll come by as soon as I’m done! _

**[from Bevvy] 2:48pm  
** _ I am so down. Ill make sure we save food for u babe _🙂

**[from B+M’s Stan] 2:49pm  
** _ Be there soon. _

A gentle kiss to the top of his head alerted him of Richie’s presence. He looked up with a wide grin and reached up to pull the tall man down for a real kiss. Humming happily, Eddie let his lips linger over Richies for several long moments before leaning back to get a good look at him. Richie looked exactly as he did when Eddie saw him in his drawing class a few hours earlier. His hair was pulled back in a tiny, full bun today, several strands falling over the back of his neck from where they were too short to stay put under the elastic. He had his black glasses on and the sweater of the day was black and white striped, paired with black jeans and matching converse. He looked like he had walked straight off a Tim Burton movie set and Eddie was _ loving _ it. 

“Ready to go, sweetheart? I can drive us there if you’d like.”

Eddie’s eyes brightened in curiosity. Usually when the two of them went out, they went somewhere within walking distance or carpooled with one of their friends so he’d never seen Richie’s car before. He was pleasantly surprised when, a few moments later, Richie pulled him over to a baby blue Jeep. 

“She’s not the newest vehicle, but she’s reliable. She gets the job done.”

As soon as Richie unlocked it, Eddie scrambled up into the passenger seat, Richie laughing and helped him keep his balance with a hand on his back. Once Eddie was securely in his seat, Richie shut his door and rounded the front of the vehicle and slid smoothly behind the wheel. 

“Sorry, shorty, I forgot how tall she was.” Richie sent him a wink that had Eddie glaring and holding up his middle finger.

“Fuck you. Don’t call me shorty, I’m a perfectly average height, how many fucking times do I have to tell you that?”

“What was that, Eds? I couldn’t hear you from up here?”

Eddie turned red with rage and turned to point a finger at Richie’s cheeky grin. “Listen, asshole…”

The entire car ride to Mike’s apartment was filled with Richie’s teasing and Eddie’s angry retorts. By the time they had pulled into a parking space and were climbing the stairs to Mike’s door, Eddie was red faced with rage, pulling a laughing Richie behind him with a painfully tight grip on his hand. Eddie pushed Mike’s door open mid rant.

“... don’t even know why I like you so much, you’re so _ fucking _infuriating!”

Richie grinned and sent a happy wave to the trio lounging on Mike’s bed, ignoring the three very different looks they were receiving: one unimpressed (Stan), one amused (Mike), and one incredulous (Bill).

“Howdy, fellas! Great day today isn’t it?” The other men didn’t say anything as they watched Eddie drag Richie to the couch, push him down onto it, drop his bag by their feet, and plop down in Richie’s lap, mouth still turned down in an angry scowl. Stan raised an eyebrow then looked at Richie with pursed lips.

“What did you do?”

Richie gasped in faux outrage, wrapping his arms around Eddie’s waist and pulling him closer to his chest. Eddie’s glare deepened and he crossed his arms defiantly.

“Stanley, how dare you imply that I did something wrong! I would never!”

Stan just stared for a moment longer before rolling his eyes, quickly losing interest in his friend’s antics. Things settled quickly after that. Bev arrived a few minutes after Richie and Eddie and immediately flung herself down on the couch on top of them, pulling Eddie out of his angry pouting. 

By the time Ben arrived, the pizza had been ordered and the other six were arguing over what game they should play first. Eventually, they decided to start with Clue, Richie loudly calling dibs on Miss Scarlet before anyone else could. Eddie sat the first game out as there were only six characters to play as, and instead pulled out his sketchbook to start drawing Richie’s outline.

They set the game board up on the coffee table, everyone sitting on the floor around it. Eddie sat a few feet away and positioned himself so he was facing Richie’s profile, immediately setting to work on capturing his boyfriends hunched, cross legged pose. Eddie became so engrossed in his work that he didn’t notice when the pizza arrived and everyone started rising to grab plates of food. It wasn’t until a plate was placed down gently on the floor next to him and he felt a body kneeling down to peek over his shoulder that he glanced up. Riche was no longer hunched over the coffee table, instead he was leaning back against the front of the couch, watching Eddie fondly and he shoveled pizza in his mouth. When Eddie glanced over his shoulder to see who was kneeling next to him, he was met with Mike’s kind, curious eyes. 

“What’s got you so deeply invested over here, hm? We haven’t heard a peep outta you since our game started.”

Eddie smiled and raised his sketchbook slightly to show Mike his progress so far. “I’m drawing Richie for one of my classes. Somehow he was assigned to be my model. Of all people, right?”

Mike hummed in agreement as he looked over Eddie’s sketch. It was little more than a basic outline at the moment, but it was still so obviously Richie that Mike was momentarily stunned.

“Wow… I know you’re no where near done with this yet, but it already looks just like him. Man, what’s it like to be so talented?”

Eddie giggled and gave Mike a playful shove, knocking him over as he laughed. “It’s a gift.” Placing his sketchbook to the side, he picked up his plate of food and crawled over to cuddle into Richie's side. The taller man looked down at him with a huge smile full of pizza. “Hi, baby.”

Eddie pretended to gag, telling him off for talking with his mouth full, but unable to hide the gentle smile on his face. Richie just winked and swallowed, then leaned down to press a sweet kiss to Eddie’s lips. A balled up napkin hitting Eddie in the side of the face pulled them apart.

“Please spare us. We didn’t pay for dinner _ and _a show.” Richie stuck his tongue out at Stan.

“Oh, come on, Stanny. Don’t rain on our parade just because neither of _ your _ beaus are kissing _ you _ right now.” As if on cue, Mike and Bill both stopped what they were doing and moved to kiss Stan on either cheek. The blond blushed and let out a soft huff, ducking his head to hide a pleased smile.

Once everyone finished eating, the group gathered back around the coffee table to finish their game. Eddie moved back to his spot with his sketchbook and took a long moment to admire Richie before getting back to work. His boyfriend was sitting directly next to Bev and around the corner from Bill, posture relaxed and content. His expression was happy as he constantly switched between laughing at himself and trying to do impressions of all the Clue characters, acting playfully outraged whenever one of their friends “beep beep” or booed him. A few minutes after they resumed their game, Richie looked up and locked eyes with Eddie. He blew him a kiss and gave him a wink, making Eddie’s chest and stomach flutter pleasantly, before returning to the game. 

Eddie was just over half way done with his drawing when Clue ended (Mike as Colonel Mustard coming out victorious when he accused Mrs. Peacock with the revolver in the Conservatory), and he was dragged away from his work to play Life. Richie insisted that he and Eddie play as a team, claiming it would be “practice for the future, babe, duh”, and making Eddie’s brain almost short circuit at the possibility of an actual _ future _ with the taller man. 

Unsurprisingly, Richie and Eddie argued over every decision they had to make. Richie wanted to go straight into a career while Eddie insisted going to college would give them better paying job options. When it came to choosing their career, Eddie argued that becoming a Vet would be the most beneficial, but Richie insisted that being an Entertainer would pay off in the long run. They both wanted different houses and they couldn’t agree on buying insurance, but surprisingly, the one thing they _did_ both agreed on, was taking the path that would give them the most potential children.

In the long run, to no ones surprise, Stan was the winner and Richie and Eddie came in dead last. Eddie was momentarily devastated at how terribly the two of them had done, feeling a flash of fear for their actual future before Richie slung an arm over his shoulder and pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “You’re way to easy to rile up, babe. Relax, you’ve got your overthinking face on. It was just a game. Real life us will be fine.”

Eddie blushed, wishing for a moment that they were alone so they talk about it more in private. Instead, he pressed a kiss to Richie’s jaw and stood to go raid Mike’s kitchen for more snacks. When he returned, big bowl of chips in hand, Ben and Bill were setting up Monopoly, the agreed upon final game of the evening. Knowing the game was a long one, and feeling motivated to finish his first drawing, Eddie once again bowed out of playing and settled back into his spot a few feet away. When Richie pouted at him, he just sent him a placating smile and said, “I’ll cheer you on from here, Rich.”

The game was brutal, Stan taking an instant lead while Richie and Bev both almost immediately fell close to bankruptcy. More than once, Bill caught Richie trying to steal money from the bank, causing everyone else to yell at him and almost resulting in a complete restart to make sure his bank was accurate. Through all this, Eddie drew, capturing Richie’s mischievous smirk and embracing the warm knot unfurling in his chest.

Eddie finished his drawing minutes before the game ended. Placing his pencil down, he ran a critical eye over his work and darted them up to compare them to the man sitting before him. There were subtle differences, caused mainly by Richie not sitting still while Eddie drew him, but overall Eddie let himself smile and feel pleased with his result. He put his sketchbook down and mosied over to his friends, sitting up on his knees to prop his chin over Richie’s shoulder and glanced at the board. He could tell right away that Stan had absolutely dominated. Of the 22 property cards, the blond held 17 of them, with the majority of his spaces housing hotels. Richie, Bev, Bill, and Mike had all succumbed to bankruptcy, all of their money and properties now belonging to either Stan or Ben. They were all leaned forward watching intensely, Richie and Bev rooting loudly for Ben even though it was clear Stan was going to be the winner. When Ben rolled the dice and landed on Stan’s Boardwalk, it was all over. Stan grinned smugly, accepting a resigned congrats from Ben and kisses from Bill and Mike, studiously ignoring the lighthearted booing from Richie, and began cleaning everything up.

Eddie gently pulled Richie to his feet and over to where his sketchbook was waiting.

“I finished my drawing. Wanna see it?”

Richie perked up and nodded enthusiastically. Eddie scooped up his sketchbook and handed it over eagerly. Richie glanced down and froze, eyes widening and mouth opening in surprise. When he looked back up at Eddie his eyes were full of wonder.

“This looks _ just _ like me, Eds. Holy shit! How the fuck did you do this in just a couple hours?”

Eddie blushed, feeling warm from the praise, and just smiled. Hearing Richie’s exclamation, the rest of their friends drew close in curiosity, each taking a turn to get a good look at Eddie’s drawing. Bill and Mike, who had seen Eddie draw before, were less shocked by his rendering of Richie and were quick to shower him in compliments, while the others were left slightly speechless. 

“What the fuck?”

“How did you do that?”

“That’s… amazing.”

Bev, Ben, and Stan all spoke at once, confusion and awe clear in their voices. Eddie took his sketchbook back with gentle hands and smiled at them shyly. “I’ve had a lot of practice.”

The group spent several more minutes praising Eddie for his work and fawning over his photo renderings from the weeks prior, before deciding to call it a night. Richie drove them back to campus and walked Eddie to his room, parting with a tight hug and a long kiss full of an emotion left unsaid.

***

“Stop moving, jackass.”

Richie stuck out his tongue from where he was stretched out on his back in the grass. He had one leg stretched out straight and the other bent at the knee, arms folded behind his head, mustard colored sweater riding up on his stomach and showing off a pale strip of skin. His glasses were pushed up onto his forehead and his eyes were closed, face pointed up toward the sky. Eddie was sitting on a bench above him, sketchbook balanced carefully on his knees while he worked, studiously trying to capture every dip and curve of Richie’s body.

“I’ve been laying like this for almost two whole hours now, cutie. Let’s take a break, I’m sure your back would appreciate it.”

Eddie hesitated, determined to get this drawing done before it got dark.

“I don’t know, Richie. I really wanna get this one done while the suns still up. You look real good in this sunlight.”

Richie smiled then gave him an exaggerated seductive smirk. “I promise I’ll make it worth your while if you put down your book and come down here.” He wiggled his eyebrows just to hear Eddie giggle.

“When I’m done. I only have a little bit left. 30 more minutes and then my attention is all yours, promise.”

Richie let out a whine. “But you look so cute! How do you expect me to stay still for 30 more minutes when you’re up there looking so ravishing?”

Eddie bit back a smirk and set his sketchbook aside, dropping down and pinning Richie’s arms in place before he realized what was happening. He leaned down to whisper in his ear. “If you behave, I’ll do that thing with my tongue you like so much. And maybe, if you’re_ really_ _good, _I’ll even let you finger me.”

Richie drew in a sharp intake of breath. When Eddie pulled back to look down at him, his eyes were wide and his cheeks were a pretty shade of red.

“I will be the best behaved you’ve ever seen.”

Eddie laughed and climbed back to his feet, moving to the bench to finish his work.

“I’ll hold you to that.”

***

When the week ended, Eddie had managed to fill eight whole pages of his sketchbook with drawings of Richie. He had several full body’s, ranging in poses from sitting, to laying down, to one memorable occasion where Richie wanted to challenge them both and bent backwards into a wheel yoga pose. Eddie had been terrified that he was going to fall and crack his head open and made him take breaks often to control the rush of blood to his head.

He carried his sketchbook with him everywhere now, pulling it out constantly to draw Richie’s profile or laughing face. One page had been dedicated solely to his legs and feet, causing Richie to loudly laugh and accuse him of having a foot fetish. Eddie had turned crimson and stormed off, ignoring his apology texts and refusing to open his door when he came knocking, until Stan had texted, _ begging _ him to talk to the taller man as he was driving him crazy. 

As Wednesday approached, Eddie felt a nervous anticipation start bubbling in his stomach. Despite all of the things he and Richie had done together over the last few weeks, Eddie had yet to see Richie without a sweater on. They had done everything just shy of “going all the way”, becoming intimately familiar with each other in a way Eddie never had with another person, but the sweater had remained stubbornly in place. He couldn’t tell if it had been a conscious decision Richie had made, or an unconscious choice they had made together. 

Sam was ecstatic with the results of Eddie’s first live week.

“I knew pairing you with Richie would be a good idea! From the looks of it, he’s become a bit of a muse for you.”

Eddie grinned.

“I’m excited to see how this last week treats you. Go easy on him, okay? Boyfriend or not, it isn’t easy to lounge in the nude with another person studying you.”

He gave him a wink and chuckled as he walked away, Eddie’s face turning crimson behind him.

***

“Are you spending the weekend at Mike’s?”

Eddie and Bill were tucked in their beds on Thursday night, watching Netflix when Eddie asked the question. He had been fiddling with his fingers and casually texting Richie, stomach fluttering at the thought of spending the weekend with his naked boyfriend. 

“W-we hadn’t talked ab-bout it yet, but I’m sure it w-wouldn’t be a problem. Why? D-do you need the room for sexy p-plans with Richie?”

Eddie blushed. “I mean, yeah that’ll probably happen, but we need some privacy so I can do my last drawing assignment.”

Bill glanced over at him curiously. “Why do you need p-privacy for that? You haven’t so far…”

Eddie’s blush darkened. “I uh… this last week is for nudes.”

Bill’s eyes widened for a moment then he burst into laughter. “You have to d-draw your b-boyfriend naked, then turn it in for a g-grade? That’s incredible.”

Eddie glared at him while he fought to control himself. “If you’re done. Can we have the room this weekend or not?”

Bill wiped a stray tear from his eye, still chuckling. “Y-yeah. You can have it. I’ll text M-Mikey now.”

“_Thank _ you.” Eddie turned away with a huff, reaching for his own phone to text Richie.

**[to Model Trashmouth] 10:23pm  
** _ Bill’s going to stay with Mike this weekend so my room is free for us to do my assignment if you’re comfortable with that? _

**[from Model Trashmouth] 10:24pm  
** _ sounds good 2 me cutie _ 🙂_u sure ur ready for all of this _😉

Eddie rolled his eyes.

**[to Model Trashmouth] 10:26pm  
** _ I have literally seen every inch of you already except what your sweaters cover. Which, thinking back on it, is kinda weird considering everything we’ve done… _

**[from Model Trashmouth] 10:27pm  
** _ …….. huh. ur right that is weird how the fuck have u not seen me shirtless by now?? _

**[to Model Trashmouth] 10:27pm  
** _ I’ve just been preoccupied with other parts of you, I guess. _

**[from Model Trashmouth] 10:28pm  
** _ yeah u have _😉

“G-good news, Eddie. You guys will have _ b-both _ rooms to yourselves this weekend.”

Eddie gave Bill a knowing smirk. “Things with Stan are pretty serious, huh?”

Bill looked down with a shy smile. “Yeah. He’s p-pretty incredible. The t-t-three of us just fit together so w-well, you know?”

Eddie smiled at him fondly. He’d seen first hand exactly how well Stan had fit in with Bill and Mike over the last couple weeks, slotting neatly into place as if they were a three piece puzzle. 

“I’m really happy for you, Bill. For all of you. You know that you and Mike are two of my favorite people in the world, and seeing you both so happy is literally the best thing ever.”

Bill’s eyes were slightly teary after hearing Eddie’s speech, so in lieu of responding, he just scooted over in bed and held out his arms. Eddie was across the room in an instant, jumping in next to him and cuddling as close as he could.

After a moment, Bill spoke, voice sounding slightly hesitant. “You d-don’t feel left out do you? Now that M-Mike and I are together?”

Eddie furrowed his eyebrows and propped his chin on Bill’s chest to look up at him. “No, why would you think that?”

“It’s j-just... It’s always b-b-been the three of us against the w-world, you know? I d-don’t want anything or any_one _to change that.”

Eddie smiled and raised a hand to pat his cheek reassuringly. “Don’t worry, Billy. I know if it came down to it or if I really needed the two of you, you guys would drop everything for me. And I would do the same thing for you. It’s gonna take a lot more than a couple new relationships to drag us down. I won’t let it.”

Bill pulled him back down into a hug, squeezing him for a long moment. “I’m g-glad you found Richie. If I had t-to pick out two p-people on Earth who just seem to b-be made for each other, it w-would be you two.”

Eddie flushed happily and cuddled impossibly closer to his friend. “Love you, Big Bill.”

“L-love you too, Eddie.”

***

**[to Model Trashmouth] 9:36pm  
** _ You should bring your guitar with you when come over tonight. I have an idea for one of the ways I want to pose you. _

Eddie was nervous. Richie was finishing up The Kissing Bridge’s set at The Clubhouse and was due to arrive at Eddie’s room at 10pm. Eddie had spent the evening getting the room prepared by pulling Bill’s giant bean bag chair to the middle of the floor and draping a large towel over it. He had set up a little artist corner for himself, turning his desk chair to face the bean bag and moving the desk itself up beside it. On top, he had placed his sketchbook and a variety of different pencils ranging in several different lead softness and colors. He had taken a long shower in an effort to sooth himself, being sure to spend extra time cleaning his most intimate areas, just in case, and had dressed in a pair of his short sleep shorts and a soft t-shirt.

**[from Model Trashmouth] 9:44pm  
** _ can do buckaroo! getting ready to leave now. gonna grab a quick shower when i get back then im all urs _😉

Eddie’s face wrinkled in disgust.

**[to Model Trashmouth] 9:45pm  
** _ Don’t fucking call me “buckaroo” ever again. Jesus Christ that’s the worst nickname you’ve come up with yet. _

**[to Model Trashmouth] 9:45pm  
** _ I’ll be here waiting for you. _

**[from Model Trashmouth] 9:46pm  
**🙂❤️

Eddie smiled, tossing his phone to the side. He fussed around the room, making sure everything was perfectly set up and ready for Richie’s arrival. At 10:21pm, there was a knock on the door.

Eddie jumped up, smoothing his shirt down nervously against his chest, as he took a deep breath and walked to the door. When he opened it, the first thing he saw was a large hand holding out three flowers: a small sunflower, a pink lily, and a red rose. Letting out a surprised gasp, Eddie turned his widened eyes up to Richie’s face. The taller man’s hair was still wet from his shower, curling prettily around his ears and over his forehead. His cheeks were flushed pink and there was a shy, fond smile on his face.

“Richie… what? What are these for? Where did you get them? Sunflowers aren’t even in season anymore!”

Richie chuckled and held the flowers out closer to Eddie until the smaller man took them, bringing them to his chest and ducking his nose to sniff them. He reached out to hook a finger under Eddie’s chin, bringing their eyes back together. 

“I got them this afternoon before the show. There’s a little flower shop on the outskirts of town that had the little sunflowers in the window.”

He leaned down and pressed a kiss to Eddie’s forehead. The smaller man looked up at him in awe.

“But why?”

Richie grinned. “Because you deserve them, sunshine.”

Eddie blushed, feeling a little teary eyed. He reached for Richie’s hand and pulled him gently into the room, letting the door close softly behind him. He placed the flowers on his desk, motioned for Richie to put his guitar case down, then flung himself at the taller man, wrapping his arms tightly around his neck and connecting their lips messily. Richie made a muffled noise of surprise against Eddie’s mouth, then let out a low growl, reaching down to wrap his hands securely around Eddie’s thighs and hoisting them up around his waist. Eddie squeaked as he was suddenly lifted and wrapped his legs around Richie’s waist tightly, the new position making it so he had to tilt his head slightly down for once to continue kissing him. Richie turned and took a step forward, pressing Eddie’s back into the door.

Eddie pulled out of the kiss and let his head fall back against it with a soft thud. He let out a loud keen as Richie immediately attached his lips to his neck, sucking a dark bruise into the skin. Rolling his hips down, Eddie whined as he felt Richie’s growing erection press into the space behind his balls through their clothes.

“_F__uck _ , if I knew this was gonna happen, I woulda bought you flowers _ ages _ ago.” Richie ground his pelvis up into Eddie roughly, drawing groans from them both. Eddie leaned down and bit gently at Richie’s earlobe below his earring.

“Bed.”

Richie let out another growl and leaned up to kiss him again, before pushing off of the door and carrying Eddie across the room, depositing him gently on the mattress. Eddie laid back and pulled Richie up over him, sparks of pleasure pulsing through him from every point of contact between them. He spread his legs wide, letting Richie settle into the v of his hips, and pushed his hands into his wet curls, pulling him down into another, softer kiss.

“You know…” Eddie’s voice was soft as he looked down and ran his hand firmly over the plum purple material covering Richie’s shoulder. “You were wearing this sweater the first time I ever saw you. That morning-”

“On the path to the coffee shop.” Richie looked at him fondly. “I remember watching the sunrise and thinking it was so beautiful. Then I spotted you and the sunrise didn’t matter anymore. It couldn’t compare to how gorgeous you looked. Not even close.”

Eddie blushed and let himself smile contently for a moment, then trailed his hands down to the hem of Richie’s sweater. 

“As much as I love this and all the happy feelings it brings up, I think it’s finally time I saw what you’ve got hiding underneath it.”

Richie smirked and sat back on his heels, reaching back to grab his collar. Eddie propped himself up on his elbows, watching intently.

“As you wish.”

He pulled his sweater slowly over his head and Eddie choked on his breath, mouth going dry. Richie was pale and lightly toned with a smattering of beauty marks polka dotting his skin. A dark trail of hair ran from his belly button down to disappear under the waistband of his sweatpants, and a light coating of matching hair covered his chest. Eddie took all this in hungrily as each new sliver of skin was uncovered, until Richie’s nipples came into view and Eddie’s brain short circuited. 

Richie’s nipples were small and dark pink, and were both pierced with small, silver barbells. 

When his sweater was completely off, Richie dropped it off the side of the bed and sat back with a smirk, watching the way Eddie’s cheeks had turned red with arousal. He reached up to run a finger lightly over one of the barbells, noting how intensely Eddie’s eyes followed his movement.

“You like them?”

Eddie’s head jerked up at the sound of Richie’s voice. “How did I not know you had your nipples pierced? I know I haven’t seen you shirtless until now but I’ve rubbed my hands over your chest _ plenty _ of times. How did I not feel them?”

Richie chuckled, moving forward to hover over Eddie again, forcing the smaller man to lay flat. “I don’t always wear them. Tonight just seemed like the perfect opportunity.” He placed one hand on the mattress next to Eddie’s head and used his other hand to grab one of Eddie’s, guiding it to his chest. “You can touch them if you’d like.”

Eddie ran a finger gently over one of the piercings and the sensitive bud in the center. Richie’s breath hitched and a shiver ran down Eddie’s spine at the feel of the other man’s cock twitching against his own. Rubbing, a little harder, Eddie watched entranced as Richie’s mouth went slack and his eyes rolled back. Moving his hand up, he pushed firmly on Richie’s shoulder, maneuvering himself out from underneath him. “Lay down.” He plucked at the waistband of Richie’s sweats. “And take these off.”

Richie shoved his sweatpants off quickly, making Eddie groan when he realized he hadn’t been wearing anything under them. “You’re trying to kill me.” Richie just smirked and lay back, propping himself on his elbows. 

“You gonna strip for me, Eds? Put on a show?”

Eddie didn’t respond, just made eye contact and slipped off the bed. Richie’s eyes widened as Eddie started toying coyly with the hem of his t-shirt. He gave a slow twirl, then reached up and pulled it swiftly over his head. He gave Richie a wink then turned his back to him, hooking his thumbs in the waistband of his shorts. Wiggling his hips, he slowly pushed them off his legs, bringing his briefs with them, and bent at the waist, giving Richie an uninhibited view of his ass. He heard Richie let out a low moan behind him and when he turned around, he saw that the taller man was staring at him and unabashedly stroking himself lazily.

“You are absolutely perfect, Eddie. _ God _ I am so lucky.”

Eddie hummed, body thrumming from the praise, and climbed back onto the bed, crawling slowly up Richie’s body until they were face to face, barely any space between them. The taller man whimpered as their cocks brushed lightly together, but the sound was swallowed as Eddie leaned down to kiss him. Richie reached up to grab at Eddie’s face, but was stopped by Eddie forcefully pushing his hands to the mattress on either side of his face.

“No touching until I say so.”

Richie stared up at him dumbfoundedly. “What the fuck, that was so hot.”

Eddie smirked and began trailing kisses down his boyfriends neck, slowly making his way down his chest. He paused when he reached the first nipple, made eye contact with Richie, then stuck out his tongue and gave it a barely there kitten lick. 

Richie shuddered and let out a high pitched whine, spurring Eddie on. He flattened his tongue and licked over the nipple slowly, then shifted to do the same to the other one. The metal of the piercings was pleasantly warm against his tongue. Eddie gave the left one a quick flick, causing Richie to moan loudly and his cock to twitch where it was pressed against his abs, then sealed his mouth over it and gave a soft suck. 

Richie was a writhing mess beneath him. “Eddie, baby, please let me touch. _ Please, _ I’ll do anything. Just let me touch you.”

Eddie pulled off and started making his way downwards again, pleased with Richie’s self control. “Just a few more seconds, babe. You’re doing so well. Just let me taste you first.” He licked firmly up the shaft of Richie’s cock, then took him into his mouth, sinking down as far as he could.

He only bobbed his head four times, Richie gasping and babbling above him, before pulling off and placing a soft kiss against the head, not wanting to overwhelm the man below him. “Alright, you can touch now, baby. You were so good for me.”

Richie immediately grabbed Eddie’s hair and used it to pull him up into a deep kiss. When they separated, Eddie leaned down to whisper in his ear. 

“Grab the lube.” He pulled back just enough to make eye contact. “And a condom.”

Richie’s eyes widened. “Are you sure?”

Eddie gave him a lingering kiss, pouring as much feeling into it as he could. “I’m sure. I want you to fuck me.”

Richie searched his face for a long moment, then let out a sigh of “_ohhh_” and grabbed Eddie by the hips, flipping their positions effortlessly. He reached a long arm into the top drawer of Eddie’s nightstand and withdrew a half used bottle of lube and a condom which he placed on the mattress by Eddie’s hip. Eddie reached up, intending to slide Richie’s glasses off his face, but the taller man moved quickly out of reach.

“No way. I can’t see shit without these and there’s no way I’m missing a single second of this.”

He took a moment to pause and take in the way Eddie looked, spread out beneath him. His cheeks were flushed and his lips red and swollen from being kissed. His eyes were dark and half lidded, staring up at Richie desperately. Uncapping the lube quickly, he drizzled a long line onto his fingertips and started kissing his way down Eddie’s body as he warmed it between his fingers. 

“Just lay back and relax for me, sweetheart. I’ll take care of you.” He placed a light kiss on Eddie’s hip as he reached down and started rubbing his middle finger gently against his hole, spreading the lube. Eddie let out a shaky breath and carded his fingers through Richie’s hair, spreading his legs wide for easier access. This part was familiar. They had fingered each other before, both of them enjoying the sensation of being taken apart from the inside, but Richie especially _ loved _the rush he got from providing Eddie with so much pleasure. 

Richie closed his mouth around the tip of Eddie’s cock at the same time that he pushed the tip of his middle finger passed his rim. Eddie’s breath hitched from the double stimulation and he rocked his hips in an attempt to bring Richie closer on both sides. Thrusting his finger gently, Richie slowly worked his way inside until he reached the last knuckle. He suckled lightly at Eddie’s head while he crooked his finger, coaxing the smaller man to relax and loosen the muscle.

“_Richie_. More.”

Richie hummed and stroked the thumb of his free hand gently over Eddie’s hip. He pulled his finger almost completely out, then started pressing his index finger in alongside it. 

“_Yessss._” Eddie’s low moan made Richie chuckle. He took more of Eddie’s cock into his mouth, bobbing his head shallowly as he worked both of his fingers completely inside. He gently scissored his fingers, curling them slightly at the ends, until his middle finger brushed against a bundle of nerves that had Eddie sobbing. “_Ahhh_! Richie, please!”

“Shhhh.” Richie pulled off Eddie’s cock and started sucking a hickey into the junction where his leg met his thigh. “Just one more finger, baby. Promise.”

He pulled his fingers out of Eddie’s body, kissing away his whimpered protests, to pour more lube over his fingers. When he was satisfied, he rubbed a finger over his rim again, then pressed in with three fingers. 

Eddie keened, back arching off the bed as Richie’s fingers sank into him with little resistance. What little pain he felt was quickly overshadowed by pleasure as Richie immediately crooked his fingers to rub firmly over his prostate. Richie bit gently at Eddie’s hip as he rubbed continuously over the bundle of nerves until the smaller man was a babbling, begging mess beneath him.

“I’m ready. Richie, I’m ready. Please!”

The taller man placed a final kiss to his hip then slid his fingers out, grabbed the condom wrapper, and ripped it open with his teeth. Eddie squeaked at the sight, cheeks burning, as he watched Richie roll it on then lean up for a kiss. 

“You’re sure about this, baby? You can still change your mind, I won’t be upset.”

Eddie smiled and pulled Richie into another kiss. “I’m sure. I’m ready. Are you?”

Richie nodded before slicking his cock up with lube and lifting one of Eddie’s legs over his shoulder, pulling the other around his waist as he lined himself up. “I’m so ready.”

Eddie let out a loud moan as Richie slowly pressed himself in, pausing once the head had breached the rim to give Eddie time to adjust. Eddie rolled his hips, encouraging Richie into him further until, after a long moment, he bottomed out.

“_Fuck_, baby, you’re so tight. You feel _ incredible_.”

Eddie’s breath hitched, feeling unbelievably full. His body felt hot, sparks of pleasure fueling the fire growing low in his belly. He kissed Richie again, bending nearly in half to reach him.

“Move.”

Richie gave a shallow thrust of his hips, punching a groan out of them both at the friction. He slowly built up a rhythm, pulling out about half way, then thrusting back in with powerful little jerks of his hips. Eddie grabbed desperately at his shoulders when Richie angled his hips and brushed against his prostate, letting out a whine.

“Does that feel good, sweetheart? You like feeling full of my cock?”

Eddie nodded. “Yes! _ Ah! _ Yes, you feel so, _ ooh, _ so good, Rich.”

Richie sped up his thrusts, now pulling out nearly all the way and hitting Eddie’s prostate with almost every push in. He gently pushed Eddie’s leg off his shoulder and leaned down toward his ear, never breaking his rhythm. “I wanna see you ride me, baby. Can you do that? Do you wanna try it?”

Eddie let out a high pitched whine and nodded his head frantically, pushing at Richie’s shoulders to switch their positions. He let out an involuntary sob as Richie slipped out of him and climbed into his lap as soon as he was settled into the pillows. With Richie’s large hands on his hips to steady him, Eddie rose onto his knees and lined Richie’s cock back up with his entrance. He slid down onto him in one quick motion, eyes rolling back as the position made Richie’s cock sink deeper inside him.

“Ah! Richie!” He placed his hands on the other man’s chest and used it as leverage to begin bouncing himself up and down. Richie keened at the sight.

“That’s it, baby. You look so good like this. Bouncing on my cock, taking it like a pro. Ah, _ fuck_.” He bent his knees, planting his feet firmly on the mattress, and started thrusting up into Eddie, matching his speed but increasing the intensity. The coiling heat in both of their groins nearing the breaking point.

“Richie! _ Richie_, I’m so close.”

Richie moved one hand from Eddie’s waist and brought it to the front to wrap firmly around his cock. “You can come, baby, I’ve got you. Go on, let go for me.”

Richie thrust up into Eddie’s prostate sharply, bringing Eddie over the edge. He spilled warmly over Richie fingers with a shout then slumped forward, bracing himself against Richie’s chest as the taller man continued thrusting into him, chasing his own climax. It only took three more thrusts before Richie was gripping his hips tight enough to bruise. He ground up into him, moaning low in his throat and spilled into the condom, still buried deeply inside the man on top of him.

Eddie collapsed fully on top of Richie with a gasp, tucking his face into his neck and momentarily ignoring the cooling cum between them. Richie rubbed his clean hand gently up and down Eddie’s back then used it to tilt his head back for a kiss.

“Hi.”

Eddie giggled, giving him another peck. “Hi!”

Richie smiled. “That was unbelievable. You are amazing, sweetheart.”

Eddie’s eyes danced mischievously. “You weren’t to bad yourself, hot stuff.”

Richie gave him another kiss then lifted him off with a hiss. He quickly disposed of the condom, then grabbed some wet wipes from the nightstand to clean themselves with.

“Come on, cutie.” He pressed a tender kiss to Eddie’s forehead. “Wet wipes only do so much. Let’s go hop in the shower. I’ll wash your back for you.”

Eddie beamed and climbed out of the bed to put his shorts back on, feeling surprisingly energized despite the dicking he’d just received. “I’ll race ya!”

Richie laughed as Eddie took off, tugging his sweatpants over his legs, and chasing him out of the room.

***

When they returned from their shower (both sporting numerous more hickies), Eddie asked Richie to grab his guitar and recline back on the bean bag. 

“Can you still play if you extend your left leg out straight?”

Richie did as he was asked and plucked out a soft melody. “Sure can, darling.” The taller man had a lazy smile of his face, limbs feeling heavy and relaxed, eyes following Eddie fondly as the smaller man got himself ready to start drawing.

Eddie hadn’t stopped smiling. He was pleasantly sore, and despite feeling totally satiated, had a low thrum of energy continuously pulsing through him. He had put on a clean pair of shorts, leaving the rest of him bare, and had found a small jar to put his flowers in, arranging them on the desk right next to his pencils. When he finally sat and looked up at his boyfriend, his breath caught briefly at the soft expression on his face.

“Hey there.”

Richie’s voice was low and husky and sent a spark of pleasure through Eddie’s body.

“Hey yourself.”

Richie chuckled. “You’re really cute, you know that?”

Eddie blushed and ducked his head, grabbing his sketchbook and making himself comfortable. He let his eyes roam slowly up and down Richie’s form, taking in the way his curls fell over his forehead and his glasses rested low on his nose. The body of his guitar covered most of his stomach but left his chest in view, light from Eddie’s desk lamp glinting slightly off his piercings. With his left leg extended in front of him, Eddie had an uninhibited view of his dick and the way it hung down to nestle in the v of his hips. He bit his lip lightly and brought his eyes back up to Richie’s.

“I might be cute, but you are absolutely stunning.”

It was Richie’s turn to blush, smile becoming blinding. He watched quietly as Eddie picking up one of his pencils and started drawing.

“You can play something if you want. I’ll tell you when I need you to keep your fingers still.”

Richie gave a hum of acknowledgement and began strumming out quiet chords. Eddie lost himself in the gentle sounds of the music and the scratching of his pencil over paper. He had just finished the basic outline of Richie’s pose, and was starting to work on his curls when Richie opened his mouth and started singing.

[_ fallingforyou _\- The 1975]

_ “What time you coming out?_  
_ We started losing light_  
_ I’ll never make it right_  
_ If you don’t want me around_  
_ I’m so excited for the night_  
_ All we need’s my bike and your enormous house_  
_ You said some day we might_  
_ When I’m closer to your height_  
_ Til then we’ll knock around and see_  
_If you’re all I need…”_

Eddie gasped and raised his wide eyes to Richie’s, seeing him already staring back at him.

_ “Don’t you see me, I_  
_ I think I’m falling, I’m falling for you_  
_ And don’t you need me, I_  
_ I think I’m falling, I’m falling for you_  
_ On this night, and in this light_  
_ I think I’m falling, I’m falling for you_  
_ And maybe you, change your mind_  
_I think I’m falling, I think I’m falling…”_

Eddie placed his sketchbook and pencil down on the desk beside him, mouth open in wonder, eyes never leaving Richie’s.

_ “I’m caught on your coat again_  
_ You said, “oh no, it’s fine”_  
_ I read between the lines and touched your leg again_  
_ I’ll take it one day at a time_  
_ Soon you will be mine, oh, but I want you now_  
_ When the smoke is in your eyes, you look so alive_  
_ Do you fancy sitting down with me_  
_Cause you’re all I need…”_

Eddie stood up and took a step closer.

_ “According to your heart_  
_ My place is not deliberate_  
_ Feeling of your arms_  
_I don’t want to be your friend, I want to kiss your neck_

_ Don’t you see me, I_  
_ I think I’m falling, I’m falling for you_  
_ And don’t you need me, I_  
_ I think I’m falling, I’m falling for you_  
_ On this night, and in this night_  
_ I think I’m falling, I’m falling for you_  
_And maybe be you, change your mind.”_

Richie maintains eye contact as he plays through the last few chords. When the room dissolved into silence he gently placed his guitar on the floor beside him and reached up to take Eddie’s hand. Eddie had tears in his eyes as he spoke breathlessly.

“Do you really mean that?”

Richie tugged on his hand gently and pulled him down into his lap, arranging them so Eddie was straddling his hips, and connected their foreheads.

“Every word.” He reached a hand up to cup the smaller man’s cheek, tilting his head too bring their lips together. They kissed softly for a long moment, lips moving together reverently. When they pulled back, Richie looked Eddie directly in the eyes.

“I love you.”

Eddie’s heart exploded. He looked down at Richie in disbelief.

“You love me?”

Richie smiled shyly and rubbed gently at the back of his neck. “I know we haven’t been dating for long, but there’s just something about you Eddie. Something about _ us_. I think you might be it for me, I really do.”

Eddie stared for another long moment before his smile blossomed and he let out a loud laugh. He flung his arms tightly around Richie’s neck, pulling him into a hug. 

“I love you, too.”

Richie gasped and pulled his head back to look at Eddie’s face. “You do?”

Eddie beamed and nodded his head enthusiastically. “I do. I love you, Richie.”

The taller man laughed brightly and leaned in to kiss him, smiling mouths making it difficult to connect properly. “I love you, Eddie.”

They brought their foreheads back together and took a long moment to bask in the glow of their confessions, before Eddie giggled and started to stand. “Come on. Let’s finish my assignment before we do something that makes us need _ another _shower.”

Richie playfully pretended to reach for him, but Eddie danced out of reach and stuck out his tongue. He sat back down at his desk and pulled his sketchbook into his lap and was studying the progress he had made so far when his phone chimed with a new text in The Losers Club group chat. 

**[from Model Trashmouth] 1:34am  
** _ i love him _

Richie had attached a photo of Eddie sitting at his desk, legs pulled up under him on the chair, and bent over his sketchbook. His tattoo stood out starkly on his chest and there was a massive smile still on his face. He was littered with hickies. Eddie looked up to see Richie still holding his phone, watching for his reaction. He quickly blew him a kiss and typed out a response.

**[to THE LOSERS CLUB] 1:35am  
** _ I love you, too _❤️

Eddie placed his phone down beside him and grinned across the room at his love as the group chat went crazy.

***

Richie and Eddie barely left the room at all until Sunday night. They woke up on Saturday, naked and curled tightly around each other, Richie’s erection pressing firmly into Eddie’s backside. Richie worked him open slowly, whispering sweetly into his ear until Eddie was writhing and pleading in front of him. When he pushed in and bottomed out, Eddie let out a sob of relief, pushed back into Richie’s chest and gripped the arms wrapped around him tightly.

Richie fucked him slowly, using gentle rolls of his hips to bring them both over the edge. Eddie came untouched, Richie’s whispered, “_I love you_”s echoing in his ears as the taller man pulsed inside him, emptying into the condom with a quiet, “_ahh!_”.

When they were done and the condom disposed of, they curled back up together, Eddie playing with Richie’s fingers as they spoke to each other softly. After a long shower, they dressed quickly and took a walk down to the coffee shop for brunch, getting their usual drinks and half a dozen pastries to split. They responded to texts from their friends while they ate, promising to all get together for dinner the next night when Bev demanded to hear the full declaration story.

When they got back to Eddie’s room, the smaller man stripped his boyfriend back down and slid his glasses off his face, placing them on top of his own head for safe keeping. He had Richie lay face down on his bed, arms folded under his head, face turned toward him. Pulling his desk over next to him, Eddie climbed on top of it and sat down cross legged, giving himself a slightly elevated view of Richie’s form.

“You just trying to stare at my ass, sunshine?”

Eddie giggled and ran a single finger over the gentle curve of one of his cheeks. “Maybe.”

Richie laughed, and Eddie got distracted by the shake of his broad shoulders. He let his eyes roam freely over the pale expanse of his back, wanting nothing more in that moment than to reach out and trace a line between his birthmarks with a finger. So he did.

Richie hummed happily, letting his eyes fall closed at the contact. After a moment, Eddie pulled back then leaned down to whisper in Richie’s ear.

“Maybe, if you can stay really still for me, I’ll give you a full body massage when I’m done.”

Richie groaned, shifting slightly to gain some friction as heat pooled into his groin at Eddie’s words.

“My love, you can’t just say something like that then expect me to_ not _ immediately want to ravish you. That’s not fair!”

Eddie giggled again and retreated back to his seat on the desk, his heart skipping a beat at the new nickname. “You better be good then.”

He was. Richie was so still the entire time Eddie was drawing, that had it not been for the teasing conversation they were having, Eddie would have assumed he’d fallen asleep. When he finished, he pushed his desk back to its original spot and quickly shed his clothes. He climbed up on top of Richie, and straddled his hips, reaching up to knead firmly at his shoulders. Slowly making his way down his body, leaving no inch untouched, Eddie made good on his promise, massaging Richie thoroughly on the outside, and with the help of a little lube, on the inside as well.

On Sunday night, both feeling pleasantly satiated after being unable to keep their hands off each other for most of the weekend, Richie and Eddie joined their friends at Mike’s apartment for dinner. They were the last to arrive, Eddie immediately launching himself on top of Bill and Mike on the couch, while Bev pulled Richie into a tight hug, pulling him down to whisper how happy she was for them into his ear.

As they ate, Eddie started regaling everyone with how the “I love you”’s had come to pass, starting from the moment he had opened his dorm room door to three of his favorite flowers. He blushingly skipped over the more intimate part of their evening, Richie’s wiggling eyebrows being more than enough to clue them in to what had happened next, and told them how he’d really wanted a pose of Richie playing the guitar. The other three members of The Kissing Bridge looked at Richie knowingly when Eddie started describing the song he had sung to him, causing Richie to turn pink and adamantly refuse to make eye contact with anyone.

“And then I walked over, asked if he meant everything he sang in the song, and Richie said it.” Eddie gave his boyfriend a soft look, nudging his thigh gently with the foot he had tucked underneath him. “Then I gave him a hug and said it back.”

They accepted the congratulations from all of their friends in the form of a giant group hug, which quickly turned in to a cuddle puddle on the floor in front of the couch. Richie and Eddie curled up together in the center of the pile, and with all of their friends pressed in all around them, let themselves beam at each other, bodies full to the max with love.

***

On Wednesday, Richie and Eddie walked into Eddie’s drawing class hand in hand. Sam looked up as they entered, eyebrows raising in surprise.

“Richie! What are you doing here?”

Richie grinned and motioned toward Eddie’s sketchbook with his head. “I wanted to be here when you saw the drawings Eddie did this week. I’m really proud of him.”

Eddie flushed under the praise and smiled up at Richie lovingly. Sam glanced between them knowingly for a moment, then held out his hand with a smile. “Let’s see then.”

Eddie handed his sketchbook over shyly, watching Sam flip quickly to the first page of the newest assignment. The first drawing he saw was the one of Richie playing his guitar. Eddie had captured him perfectly, from the curve of his fingers on the fret board, to the sole of his left foot, all the way up to the lovestruck look in his eyes behind his glasses. Sam let out a soft “_oh” _of surprise. He flipped to the next page where Richie was stretched out on his stomach on Eddie’s bed. Tucked into the corner beneath it was a waist up drawing of a shirtless Richie playing his keyboard.

The drawings went on for several pages: Richie sitting cross legged, a close up of one of his nipple piercings, a full frontal with Richie holding Eddie’s flowers in front of his face, one from the back of Richie flexing his muscles with a teasing smile on his turned face, an extremely detailed drawing of Richie’s cock, hard and nestled in a bed of black pubes, a half drawing of Richie’s broad shoulders and the back of his head, and one final one of Richie’s profile where his head was thrown back and a hand was wrapped around his erection.

Sam looked up from the last one looking slightly flustered. He flipped back through the drawings one more time before gently closing the sketchbook and handing it back to Eddie. 

“Wow.” He looked at Eddie appraisingly for a moment before shaking his head with a light laugh. “I’m always shocked by just how blown away I get every time I see your work, Eddie. These are unbelievable.”

Eddie blushed and squeezed Richie’s hand tightly. “Thank you. It definitely helps that I had such a great model to work with.”

Richie preened, puffing out his chest and making the other two laugh at his ridiculousness. 

“He definitely brings out the best in you.” Sam paused, then perked up as if just remembering something. He reached out to the table behind him and began shuffling through some papers until he found a hefty packet. “That reminds me! I wanted to ask you something.” He turned to Eddie with a wide smile, holding the packet out for him to take. Eddie did so with raised eyebrows. Across the top of the first page were the words **National Collegiate Art Showcase**. He gasped and looked up at Sam with hopeful eyes. Sam chuckled.

“I was actually planning to ask you all along, but this unit really solidified my choice. If you’re willing, I’d like to submit some of your work for the showcase. And...” He looked from Eddie’s shocked face to Richie’s proud grin. “If you’re both willing, I’d like to submit some of your drawings of Richie.”

Eddie gasped, whipping his head up to look at Richie who’s mouth had dropped open in surprise. They shared a brief look, speaking to each other without words, before Eddie turned back to Sam with a bright smile.

“I would be honored!”

Sam grinned. “You deserve this, Eddie. You really do.” He looked between the two of them again, then shooed them toward the door. “We can talk more about it next week. You two get out of here. Go celebrate!”

Eddie thanked him again and began pulling Richie excitedly toward the door.

“Oh! And Eddie?”

He paused, turning back to face Sam with a hand on the doorknob.

“Keep Richie close. You guys are going to do great things together.”

Richie and Eddie smiled at each other sappily. “That’s the plan.” He gave Sam one final wave, then tugged Richie out of the room.

They paused for a moment outside the door to share a lingering, sweet kiss, then pulled back with matching smiles. As they began walking down the hallway, hands linked securely between them, Eddie took a moment to reflect on the last few weeks that had brought them there, feeling suddenly thankfully for his envelopes of photographs and a little drunken courage. Looking up at Richie’s profile, Eddie’s chest welled up with love, and as they pushed through the doors of the building and out into the chilly, autumn air, Eddie let out a laugh, Richie’s responding smile shining as brightly as their future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there it is! Thank you all so much for reading and loving this fic as much as I do. This is both the longest fic I've ever written and also the first time I've ever written anything sexual, so the outpouring of positivity I've received from everyone has been really heartwarming and encouraging! Thank you!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, everyone! Let me know what you think!
> 
> Also, you can find me over on tumblr as [musictomii](https://www.musictomii.tumblr.com) 🥰I would _love_ to see any fanart from this fic OR get some new writing prompts to try! I have a few ideas for a couple new fics, but would love to fulfill any requests you guys may have!


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